Yuri Rashkin

My Platform - What I Believe In

2012-01-11T23:33:00.005-06:00

1. Helping small businesses start and prosper - For nearly a decade I owned my own small business. I joined Forward Janesville and promoted my business by getting involved in my community and by joining a service club - Janesville Noon Lions. I worked hard to provide high quality customer service to my clients. I know what it takes to run a small business and how important small businesses are to our economy, our communities, to our way of life.

2. Government's responsibility of helping the elderly - For the past 4+ years, I've been playing piano at nursing homes and retirement communities across Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois, providing entertainment for the residents. I see first-hand how important quality care is, as well as the difference between facilities that are able to better take care of their residents and those that are struggling. I understand the importance of making sure that those in the later stage of life are able to enjoy it and have a meaningful existence.

3. Preserving local control of our communities - Serving on the Janesville City Council, I have seen the damage that Scott Walker's policies have brought to our local communities, taking control away from local governments, and inserting themselves in the relationships between the city councils and our unions. I understand the importance of everyone working together to achieve the best possible result, because we get further by working together to achieve our goals instead of by telling others what to do.

4. The right of Wisconsin residents to cast a vote unrestrained - I place an extremely high value on the ability of voters and citizens to vote and to pick our government in the way that is free, accessible, and secure. I was born and spent the first 13 years of my life in the Soviet Union. When my family and I came to the United States in 1988, we came as refugees seeking the freedoms of democracy. The reforms instituted in Wisconsin in the last few months under the guise of fighting fraud, in reality have put in danger the ability of minorities, elderly, and the disabled to cast their

votes. My parents uprooted their lives to give me an opportunity to participate in the democratic process, and I consider the ability to cast a vote vital to a well-functioning democracy.

5. The right of unions to collectively bargain - The ability of people to negotiate for their wages and working conditions, are essential to a quality working place. As a member of Janesville City Council, I have spoken strongly in support of unions and voted in favor of several resolutions supporting collective bargaining. Wisconsin has been the home to the union movement and our progressive heritage demands that we take a strong stance in protecting that which has been accomplished through much struggle. Unions improve the wages and quality of life for all working people--not just union members.

6. The government's responsibility of helping businesses create jobs - Throughout my time on the Janesville City Council, I have been involved in a number of initiatives that helped local businesses expand, and brought other businesses to our area. Janesville has been hit particularly hard because of the closure of the General Motors plant, but I am proud of how our community is making the transition to the future. I have stood up in support of private businesses, which are vital to our economy--local, regional and beyond.

7. Universal access to quality healthcare - I believe that having access to all legal quality healthcare is not just a right; it is a necessity of the human condition. When our health is at stake, we should be able to go to a healthcare provider that we chose and get the best care available. As a self-employed professional, I saw my healthcare costs increase, until I was no longer able to afford health care coverage.

8. Protecting the environment - In my work on the Janesville City Council and the Sustainable Janesville Committee, I have spoken strongly in support of protecting our environment, and supported the resolution making Janesville an eco-friendly

community. Over the last 4 years, Janesville has made a lot of changes in the way we handle waste and in how we use our landfill leading to improvements which will extend the life of our landfill.

9. Importance of arts - As a professional artist and as the president of our local arts coalition - United Arts Alliance - I am one of the strongest and most out-spoken advocates for the arts in our community. I recognize the value of the arts to our personal well-being and to our communities, to children and to adults. I created the Janesville Area Creativity awards, which is currently in their 2nd year, recognizing creativity in our area while raising funds for art projects in the Janesville area.

10. Value of quality public education - Scott Walker has worked hard to decimate public education in Wisconsin, and as a parent of a 5th grader, and as an actively involved member of our community, I see first-hand the opportunities that are being lost in Janesville schools. Protecting the ability of our children to get a quality education at public schools is crucial to the success of our children and the success of our society.

11. Danger of money to politics and policy - Through a series of decisions on the state level, as well as by the Supreme Court, our democracy is in real danger of being sold to the highest bidder. I was fortunate to run for a local office that did not require a massive fund-raising operation. Now, that I am running for a position in the State Assembly, I find myself in the reality where much of any serious candidate's time is spent raising money, instead of working to improve the community or even campaign. Our dependence and fear of big money is locking us into a cycle of an ever-escalating arms race where the best person for the job may never get the chance to serve. This reality is doing all of us a disservice and it has to change.

12. Transparency in government - While on the council, I have spearheaded several changes to ensure greater transparency in the council's proceedings. As a direct result of my efforts, every public meeting of the council, as well as study sessions, are now broadcast on the Internet, which was not the case previously. I believe in what Justice Louis Brandeis said, that "Sunshine is the best disinfectant" - if the public is given the chance to see the government proceedings, it will at the same time create an important opportunity for questions to be asked, while showing that the process is open and accessible to the public.

13. Involvement in community - I have served as president of the Janesville Toastmasters, Janesville Noon Lions and United Arts Alliance. I volunteer in our schools and perform regularly at charitable events. My entire career of public service was done with no monetary compensation. At the same time, I disagree with those who say that serving on the council is a thankless job. I have a strong sense of gratitude to my community, which I made my home, and which allowed me to get involved and to continue to make such a difference in making Janesville a better place to live, work, and play.

14. Creativity - As someone who came to Janesville from outside of the area, I believe that I have a special appreciation for what Janesville and Wisconsin have to offer. In my effort to promote Janesville, I created a TV program called "Discover

Janesville", featuring interviews with those volunteering and making a positive difference in Janesville. My program, which won numerous awards, was shown on the local public access channel, posted on YouTube and even available at the Janesville Gazette website. Concurrently with producing and hosting "Discover Janesville", I created a singular plan to market our downtown business corridor, which I called The Janesville Mile. This idea was embraced by the Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, which produced The Janesville Mile maps, now available throughout the downtown area. The Janesville Mile is also featured in the official guide to Janesville, and features its own arts festival called Art Infusion.

Christmas Day Attack by Janesville Gazette

2011-12-25T19:29:00.004-06:00

On the day when families gather together to celebrate the birth of Prince of Peace, Janesville Gazette chose to unleash its strongest attack to date on local residents looking to make a difference. Using the story about local candidates' party affiliation as the premise for its criticism, Gazette went on to highlight candidates active in the Democratic party and asked the question it seemingly asks every year: is it appropriate for local office holders to hold a position with a political party.

To begin with, this question is wrong to be asked since the Gazette is ignoring the fact that the community has already said "Yes" when it elected Sam Liebert to Janesville City Council in April of this year. Councilmember Liebert, who worked for the Obama administration in Washington DC and did not hide this fact, incidentally did not get Gazette's endorsement for apparently lacking experience in politics.

Moreover, it is appropriate for any person to be a member of any political party. We live in a democracy, and this type of involvement serves to provides more information for the voters about candidate's values, and should be taken into consideration together with other factors, such as whether a person has a criminal record, what they do for a living, what has their involvement in the community been, and so on. Belonging to a political party is simply one more piece of the puzzle. Not the kind of headline that sells newspapers, but it's a fact.

Then again, reality is far more complex than the story in the Gazette portrays. For instance, Councilman Liebert and myself are both members of the Democratic Party, yet we have disagreed on a number of issues that have come before the council, including the perennial issue in Janesville - sidewalks. That's because issues before the City Council for the most part have nothing to do with party politics. Putting this type of factual information in the story would have shown the complexities of serving the public, something that Gazette evidently can't handle or just doesn't want readers to worry about. After all, there's a story to be told about how inappropriate it is for people to belong to a political party and then run for a local office, and how the community should be worried about this. Facts? Well, they just slow down this train of justice.

Personally, I find it frustrating that Gazette chose to attack me by using a quote from a fellow Councilmember, herself running for re-election, to describe my remark as "blatant partisanship". Was I contacted for a response? Not at all. I found out about this story same way as everybody else - by reading about it on the Gazette's website. Clearly this story was in the making for sometime, and I anticipate an editorial sanctifying the conclusions drawn in this article to come out shortly.

Either way, thank goodness for the technology we have available to us, for it allows me to write my own response to the Gazette and post it here, on my blog, regardless of whether the Gazette includes a response from either myself or Kevin Murray - another local public official same as me accused by the Gazette of using local office as "springboards" for higher office - and not given a chance to respond.

For those curious as to why I referred to the Wheel Tax passed by the council as the Walker Tax, and voted against it, it is because Governor Scott Walker cut state shared revenue to Janesville by $864,000, of which about half a million dollars will be recouped with the new tax. I opposed this tax because it is Governor's way of shifting the blame for his irresponsible policies to local governments. I do not support it, and will not stand for it.

Finally, if the Gazette was truly concerned about the fact that so many of the candidates for local offices belong to political parties, it could have highlighted the fact that in these turbulent times, so many of our outstanding young men and women - from business owners to government employees - are stepping up and taking leadership roles in our communities by getting involved in political parties (nothing wrong with that) and by running for local elected offices. That would've been a positive story for a holiday edition. Oh well, may be next year.

Here's the link to the Gazette story: http://www.gazettextra.com/news/2011/dec/25/republican-or-democrat-its-not-supposed-matter-loc/

Merry Christmas and Go Packers!

Yuri Rashkin for State Assembly - Yuri Listens

2011-12-08T00:49:00.000-06:00

Check out the latest video featuring people's comments on my candidacy. As I look to represent the 44th District in the Wisconsin State Assembly, I am so fortunate to have such great supporters! Once you watch the video, please consider contributing to the campaign by clicking on this link:

https://secure.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/27978

Political Free Speech Activity Information for Janesville, WI

2011-11-22T10:47:00.001-06:00

If you are involved or have any questions about gathering signatures for recall Walker/Kleefisch petitions in Janesville, please check out this information produced by Janesville City Manager's office and Janesville City Attorney's office upon my request.

"With various staff members receiving questions from the public regarding the use of public property for recall election petitions drives and other political activities, the City Manager’s Office and the City Attorney’s Office would like to share the following information. Should you receive any questions from a citizen, please use the information below as a guide. If you have questions not addressed in this information, please contact the Attorney’s Office at 755-3155 or the City Manager’s Office at 755-3177 for clarification.

1. Signing or collecting recall petition signatures is considered a political free speech activity and is protected by the Bill of Rights. By law, political free speech activities are generally allowed on public property, but not on all public property.

2. Citizens may sign and collect petition signatures on certain public property, such as city parks; city-owned terrace areas; sidewalks; public parking lots; or outdoor public building areas (such as in front of the Police Services building or in front of the Municipal Building).

3. While political free speech activities are allowed on public property, individuals may not disrupt normal business. They may not block a sidewalk; block ingress or egress to driveways or buildings; litter; engage in disorderly conduct or fight. The police non-emergency number (757-2244) should be called if these disorderly activities are taking place.

4.    The City of Janesville does not allow political free speech activities inside city-owned buildings. Also, the Hedberg Library does not allow political free speech activities anywhere on its premises.

UPDATE: 4.    The City of Janesville, including Hedberg Public Library, does not allow political free speech activities inside city-owned buildings. Political free speech activities may take place outside of buildings provided the activity does not disrupt normal business.

5.    The City of Janesville is not the governing authority for recall elections. Individuals looking for information on the recall petition process should contact the Government Accountability Board, as they are responsible for the operation of recall elections. http://gab.wi.gov/ 608-266-8005

6.    The City of Janesville does not have petitions available for individuals to sign. Individuals looking to sign a recall petition should perform a google search to find information or contact the political organization involved in the recall.

7.    Political free speech activities are not a right on private property and may only occur on private property with permission of the private property's owner, tenant or lessee. If activities are taking place without permission and after being asked to leave, any unwelcome person would be considered to be trespassing. The police non-emergency number (757-2244) should be called if someone is trespassing."

Podcast of interview with WCLO Tim Bremel

2011-11-07T23:58:00.002-06:00

This morning I joined Tim Bremel in the studios of WCLO to talk about several issues facing City Council and our community. Check out the podcast here: http://wclo.com/podcasts/your-talk-show/2011/nov/07/city-council-member-yuri-rashkin/

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: I'm running to represent the 44th District in the State Assembly!

2011-10-03T00:21:00.000-05:00

For Immediate Release: October 3, 2011
Contact: Friends of Yuri at (608) 754-2424 RashkinforAssembly@gmail.com

View video of the announcement: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ql8l2pr1h0

Janesville Councilman Yuri Rashkin Announces Candidacy for the 44^th Assembly District

JANESVILLE – Janesville Councilman Yuri Rashkin today announced he will run to represent the 44^th Assembly District in the State Assembly. The popular, two-term councilman will not seek re-election to the City Council in April 2012, and will focus his efforts on unseating the incumbent Assembly Representative Joe Knilans (R) in 2012 elections.

“I am running for the State Assembly, so that together we can restore respect for the working men and women of Wisconsin. Respect for our teachers, for local control of our communities, and even for the basic right to vote. Restore respect for Wisconsin,” said Rashkin. “Joe Knilans has been nothing but a rubberstamp for Scott Walker, someone who turned his back on those who worked with him at the GM plant, and who ignored demands of his constituents to stand up to Scott Walker.”

As a member of Janesville City Council, Rashkin spearheaded efforts to increase government transparency, fought unnecessary projects and expenditures, and initiated dialogue between Janesville and Beloit City Councils. In March, 2011 when Governor Walker spoke at Forward Janesville annual dinner, Rashkin who was present at the event, walked outside and joined the protesters as Scott Walker was about to speak. “I stood up and objected to Governor Walker because I strongly oppose his policies and his undemocratic, exclusionary approach to governance. Vilifying teachers and public employees, while passing legislation that seeks to destroy collective bargaining and public education, hurts our local businesses and leaves Wisconsin at the mercy of out-of-state interests. This is no way to move Wisconsin forward or create jobs.”

As a member of Janesville community, Rashkin is the past president of Janesville Noon Lions, Janesville Toastmasters and is the current president of United Arts Alliance. Rashkin created the Janesville Mile marketing concept for downtown Janesville, and hosted award-winning Discover Janesville TV program.

“I believe that whether it is the working men and women coming together to form a union, downtown businesses working together as part of the Janesville Mile, or Janesville and Beloit city councils sitting at the table discussing how we can better and more efficiently serve our residents, it is by working together that we move forward, and that is what Wisconsin is all about,” Rashkin said. “We believe in fair pay and a secure retirement; that resources we contribute to our community should be used wisely, and that our environment should be treasured, for the enjoyment of all. That's what I believe, and it's what I'll bring to our state government. “

Rashkin and his campaign committee - “Friends of Yuri” - invites the public to stop and visit with the candidate at Janesville institution – the Italian House – on Sunday, October 16 from 4 – 6 pm.

For more information, see www.YuriRashkin.com and follow the campaign on Facebook and Twitter.

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Relevancy Of Hard Times Or How Do We Handle Adversity?

2011-09-02T13:12:00.000-05:00

This morning, Gazette ran what I consider to be a well-written and balanced story, discussing whether financial and personal adversity faced by our leaders is relevant information for the voters, which I strongly feel it is. Voters, and I consider myself to be one, deserve to know who we are voting for. When a person chooses to be in the spotlight that comes with public service, a greater amount of scrutiny is to be expected. At the same time, I do not believe that being divorced, losing a house or filing bankruptcy, should make one ineligible to serve in public office. Provided laws are being followed, that's what elections are for - to determine who is and is not eligible to serve the public.

We live in the world that is full of volatility, and fair amount of it is beyond our control. If you have an adjustable rate mortgage that is fixed for a few years, but when the time comes up for you to refinance, you are no longer eligible for the products available in the market, or if a company decides to outsource its jobs to overseas, all someone affected by this calamity can hope for is that tomorrow is better than today.

The really important questions are how do we handle the obstacles that come our way and what have we learned? Do we walk away, shuttered by a failure and never try again, or do we dust ourselves off and move forward? This is a particularly relevant question for our political leaders because voters need to know how leader handles a difficult situation. Will he or she hide the facts or will they level with the voters, confident in the voters' ability to understand the situation? Can a leader handle one of the hardest challenges of public office - transparency - or will this person instead obfuscate and cover up?

As I mentioned to Tim Bremel this morning on WCLO, to me this is old news because my bankruptcy became final two years ago and I moved out of the house that apparently will be sold in a few days, over two years ago as well. The reason I moved out was because I was not comfortable living in a place that I was not paying for. It was a difficult decision because a lot of effort and money was spent to make that house a home, but you have to look facts in the face, and act accordingly. I feel proud that since that difficult time, I went back to school and got my master's degree in mass communication from UW - Whitewater, bought a house with my finance and am about to begin teaching at a college.

It is my hope that with the Gazette bringing this issue up and me speaking candidly about it, more people will be able to look this kind of adversity square in the eye and handle it without letting it destroy lives. We went from living in the world where a person worked at the same job until retirement, to a world where you had a job until you found a better one, to a world where you hang on to a job for dear life and hope not to lose it, even if it means spending hours each day driving there and back, seeing your pay cut and being vilified by politicians. As these realities change, we need to adjust what it is that we value most and what our priorities are.

I know that many in Janesville and beyond are well familiar with what I went through, not just because it was so extensively covered by the Gazette and WCLO, but because so many people have been affected by the same powerful economic forces and have also paid the high price of starting over. I believe that this experience, it made me a better public servant and hopefully a more compassionate human being. And if I can help those struggling with financial and personal difficulties by sharing my story and by taking some stigma out of it, then I feel that I'm helping do my part in moving our community forward.

Yuri Rashkin

For highlights of my interview this morning, please check out the following:

Rashkin comments on personal finances (WCLO News Features)

Janesville Gazette story by Anna Marie Lux

2011-08-22T00:02:00.000-05:00

Anna Marie Lux of Janesville Gazette wrote a very nice story about me playing piano for silent movies. Here are some excerpts:

"Key performer: Piano player does the talking in "silent" films

He is best known as a Janesville City Council member But professionally, he plays and teaches piano. Recently, he began doing something he has wanted to do for years. He plays live piano to the showing of three classic Chaplin films: "Easy Street," "The Immigrant" and "The Adventurer," all made in 1917.
Rashkin takes his show on the road, mostly to senior-living centers.
"I express my thoughts through my fingers," Rashkin explained.
He might slip into strains from "The Titanic" during scenes of Chaplin aboard an immigrant ship. Or he might pound out a few chords of Pink Floyd's "Money," when the little tramp can't find his wallet. Rashkin estimates that he plays a couple dozen familiar songs during the hour-long performance. The rest is improvisation.
He knows the power at his fingertips.
"I feel like a conductor," the 36-year-old said. "The movie can go in any direction I choose. I can make it a happy moment or a serious moment."
He has been enjoying Chaplin films ever since he was a boy growing up in a Jewish family in Moscow. A family friend played piano to the silent films, which were unlike anything the child had seen in the Soviet era.
"The movies were made with a different mindset," Rashkin said. "They had no message and no ideological bent. They were just people being goofy."
His parents wanted their son to have special skills, so they sent him to music school. His first instrument was the violin. The upright bass.
At 13, Rashkin and his family came to the United States as refugees. The former Soviet Union had a policy of national reunification, which sometimes allowed family members to move to be with relatives.
"My parents wanted to protect me and my brother from having to serve in the Soviet Army and to give their children the best opportunities they could," Rashkin said.
His uncle arranged for a Jewish relief agency to send his parents an invitation from Israel. His parents put together the detailed paperwork, got approvals and left. They departed Moscow in 1988 and landed in Austria. Then, they boarded a train that took them across the Alps to Italy. Later, they flew to Salt Lake City, where Rashkin's uncle lived.
Today, in addition to his silent-film program, he plays a hundred melodies during an hour-long show called "Songs You Know and Love." In addition, Rashkin is music director for contemporary worship at Luther Memorial Church, Delavan.
"During the interview, I told them that I was Jewish, but they said it didn't matter." Rashkin says.
He leads a praise band called the Back Row and helps with other musical needs, especially during non-traditional services. Rashkin also plays in The Ritual, a Janesville-based funk-rock-soul band.
He has an undergraduate degree in musical composition and just finished his master's degree in mass communication at UW-Whitewater. He begins teaching at Madison Media Institute in the fall."

Thank you Janesville Farmers Market!

2011-08-14T15:20:00.000-05:00

Few days ago I guest hosted Janesville Farmers Market Report, broadcast weekly on JATV. I had a blast talking to fellow Janesvillians and highlighting the market vendors. Huge thanks to Andy K., who as a JATV volunteer, produces, records and edits weekly program of excellent quality. After a stressful day, watch Janesville Farmers Market Report and on Saturday mornings please visit the market.

Janesville Farmer's Market Report August 6, 2011 - YouTube

On stoplight at West Milwaukee and Academy

2011-07-27T00:21:00.000-05:00

I don't have too much to add to what Marcia Nelesen wrote in the Janesville Gazette about last night's meeting: Janesville City Council to spend more on business incubator -- GazetteXtra other than to reiterate that decision affecting the stoplight at West Milwaukee and Academy Street was a difficult one. I have a tremendous amount of respect for residents who speak to the council, in particular Burdette Erickson, who spoke in favor of keeping the stoplight. However, based on the sheer numbers involved - cars vs. pedestrians - it made sense to me to follow recommendation of the Traffic Committee and the Public Works department in this instance.

What I said about this intersection (and I'm somewhat surprised it did not make it in the Gazette story) is that this stoplight highlights the disfunctionality of West Milwaukee street, which the council voted to turn into two-way street at some point in the future, a few weeks ago. What is happening at West Milwaukee and Academy, to me, is similar to someone speaking to an overweight person and saying "Well, you can either get your eating in order and lose some weight... or we could get you a bigger pair of pants." Taking out the stoplight would've been buying a bigger pair of pants while turning the street back to two-way would be removing the problem of traffic speeding at high speeds through a commercial retail district. Not taking out the stoplight did little to help the problem - the traffic in that area is still high and moving fast - and the intersection remains challenging for pedestrians. But the overweight person - West Milwaukee street in this case - was told to make do with pants that are way too small.

City of Janesville is now on Facebook

2011-07-25T15:00:00.002-05:00

I'd like to welcome the City of Janesville official entrance into the social media world, which it did a few days ago by joining Facebook. Please make sure to "like" this page as it will help you stay abreast of various events (planned and otherwise) that take place in Janesville, WI. Also, in the not-too-distant future, various city departments will have their own Facebook pages as well so stay tuned for those.

City of Janesville Facebook page

Also, check out Facebook pages for

Hedberg Public Library

Janesville Police Department Crime Prevention

and

Janesville Leisure Services

Janesville on Facebook

2011-07-24T23:41:00.000-05:00

Facebook is vital in helping us get around in this new and exciting digital world where Change is the New Normal. I am looking to compile a list of Facebook pages belonging to Janesville businesses, organizations and non-profits so if you think of one (or more) that I missed, leave a comment and I'll add it in. At first I anticipate to merely break these down alphabetically. Once the number is substantially high, it will be time to break these into categories. Thanks!

Bellasazi Spa Anasazi Medispa

Best Events Catering and Rentals

City of Janesville Advisory Committee on Appointments

City of Janesville, WI

Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin, Inc

Discover Janesville With Yuri Rashkin

Diversity Action Team of Rock County

Downtown Janesville WiFi Project

ECHO, Inc.

Educational Services Center

Fagan Automotive

Fairview Florist

Flooring N More Janesville

Forward Janesville Inc

Greater Janesville Values

Hafarg Inn

Hampton Inn Janesville

Hampton Janesville

Hedberg Info

Hedberg Public Library

Hhffrrrggh Inn

Holiday Inn Express & Janesville Conference Center

Huntington Place

Italian House

Jackson Elementary School

Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau

Janesville Area Stitch 'n Bitch

Janesville Armory

Janesville City Council

Janesville Downtown Development Alliance

Janesville Education Association

Janesville Gazette

Janesville Jets Hockey

Janesville League of Women Voters

Janesville Leisure Services

Janesville Listings

Janesville Little Theatre

Janesville Pac

Janesville Performing Arts Center

Janesville Police Department Crime Prevention

Janesville Presents

Janesville Shade Tree Advisory Committee

Janesville Social

Janesville WI Dairy Queen

Janesville Woman’s Club Association

Janesville, Wisconsin

JanesvilleNightOut

Java Joys

Julie Raese-Century 21 Affiliated

KANDU Industries Inc.

Kealy's Kafe

Kind Of A Big Deal

Kiwanis K-Kids

Kutter Harley-Davidson/Buell

La Esquinita Mexican Groceries and Restaurant

Land Title & Closing Services, LLC

Lav ultra-lounge

Leadership Development Academy of Rock County

Lincoln-Tallman House

LiV photography

Live Local Janesville WI

Local Vision TV

Loizzo Photography

Looking Glass

Loren Fellows Photography

Lou Dog

Luke's Custard & Deli

Main Street

Main Street Saloon

Marling Lumber / Homeworks

Nancy Kimball Realtor

Official Janesville Jets Hockey News

Optimist Club of Janesville - Thursday Noon

O'Riley & Conway's Irish Pub

Perfectly Plus Women's Consignment

Raven's Wish

Ray Norton Photography

Rock Aqua Jays Water Ski Show Team

Rock Around The Block

Rock County 4-H Fair

Rock County 5.0

Rock County Historical Society

Rock County Sheriff's Office

Rock County Young Professionals Group

Rock Trail Coalition

rockport pool

Rotary Botanical Gardens

Sam Liebert

Sapphire String Quartet

Save Janesville Schools

Schulers Jewelers and Country Furniture

ScrewMaker | Janesville, WI

SCWBA

Sheriff Spoden of Rock County

Small Business Technology Solutions Inc.

Sneakers Sports Bar & Grill

SOL Fitness and Personal Training

South Central Wisconsin Homes

Southwest Wisconsin Workforce Development Board

The Elder-Wii Project

The Janesville Mile

The JPAC Radio Players

Theatre Unlimited, Inc.

Valerie Saxer Green Art Studios

www.gazlo.com - Local Online Business Directory - Photos,...

www.radiodad.com

ymcajanesville.org

Yuri Rashkin | Janesville, WI

YWCA Rock County

Introducing: Janesville Listings

2011-07-18T16:23:00.000-05:00

Recently, I was approached by a downtown business owner with several vacant store fronts along West Milwaukee, asking me for help in marketing these spaces. Being the solution-oriented person always looking to help, I gladly obliged. Having thought about this challenge for a little bit, I came up with the Janesville Listings website, which can be found at www.JanesvilleListings.blogspot.com. There, for a reasonable monthly fee, anyone looking to sell or lease their property can have description of their property placed together with a video tour, which I put together myself.

Project like this is a continuous work in progress and I appreciate all the feedback I got so far. For instance, besides the tour of the property, videos now feature an interview with the property owner describing the property and its strong suits.

There is a bigger point to this project as well: for several now I have heard from various property owners, particularly in the downtown area, express concern that there is no one place where available commercial real estate is listed. This makes marketing our downtown and the rest of Janesville harder than it should be. In particular, when it comes to downtown, with the demise of the Downtown Design & Development Center, downtown property owners were left with little opportunity to list and market their properties in one convenient place. It is my hope that Janesville Listings will become such a place and ultimately will play a part in our local economic development.

If you have any questions or would like to schedule a consultation, please contact me. Thank you.

Disclosure: this project is my own and is no way connected to the City of Janesville.

5 Things To Keep in Mind on Janesville Property Reassessment

2011-07-18T13:07:00.001-05:00

If you are a property owner in the City of Janesville, you should have received your new statement on re-assessment. As you look at it, please keep 5 things in mind:

1. Reassessment is revenue-neutral. The City of Janesville collects no new taxes through the reassessment. In fact, taxpayer money is spent to conduct this procedure.

2. Reassessment is being done to equalize the property tax burden. That means that some property owners will pay more but others will pay less.

3. This Reassessment was mandated by the State of Wisconsin. City Council already made the decision to reassess only commercial properties, where values were particularly not reflective of the market values, but the State of Wisconsin required Janesville to conduct reassessment for both residential and commercial properties.

4. Values of commercial properties in Janesville were indeed undervalued and therefore through reassessment, commercial property values in Janesville increased by an average of 27%. Values of residential properties in Janesville went up by 6%. Because there are more residential properties in Janesville than commercial, all properties in Janesville - residential and commercial combined - by increased an average of 12%

5. Reassessment statement which all Janesville property owners received in the mail is missing one vital number - how much our property taxes are likely to change. In order to determine that number (approximation still, but very close) please follow this link to a city calculator website.

http://www.ci.janesville.wi.us/scorecard2011/Illustrative%20Tax%20Calculator.htm

Gazette editorial on changes to Wisconsin state constitution

2011-07-18T01:00:00.002-05:00

As I was compiling another round up of Wisconsin political news for my website Defend Wisconsin News Round Up (www.DefendWisconsin.blogspot.com), it occurred to me that a lot of lawmakers in our state are proposing constitutional amendments. And since this seems like something that a local newspaper would consider perfect material for an editorial (in my opinion), I sent an email to Greg Peck who writes most of the editorials at Janesville Gazette, asking him what the Gazette might think about all of these proposed changes.

Before too long I heard back from Greg, and together we put together a fairly extensive list of constitutional amendments proposed over the last few months in Wisconsin. Somewhat to my surprise, Greg indicated that he was going to quote my email in his blog that usually precedes the editorial in the paper. To those outside of Janesville Gazette distribution area, Gazette publishes a blog previewing its editorials but you have to buy the paper in order to see what the editorial actually says. Thus, my email was quoted in the blog but not in the editorial.

Here's what Greg wrote about my email in his blog Should we make changes in state constitution?

"Janesville City Councilman Yuri Rashkin nudged us toward exploring this issue earlier this week. “…It seems our lawmakers must not like our constitution a whole lot since they want to change it so much,” Rashkin wrote me by email. He seemed to be on to something." Naturally, I was curious what the Gazette might write about this issue in the end.

Here is the gist of the editorial that appeared in Sunday's edition of the Janesville Gazette:

"Some of these proposals might have merit. In particular, we strongly support making the Legislature follow the open meting law and its advance notice provision, which lawmakers long ago required of every school, municipal and county government.

...the constitution has served Wisconsin well for more than 150 years, and some of these proposals could erode our representative form of government. Lawmakers should look carefully before leaping toward changes amid today's partisan strife."

While many argue that Gazette does nothing but show its partisan biased colors, this editorial to me seems fairly balanced. It acknowledges that some changes may need to take place, and in fact it endorses the amendment offered by Assembly Democrats, yet the editorial warns lawmakers to be cautious about changing the constitution.

What do you think? Is constitution a living document that should be tweaked and adjusted as need be or should it be left alone in reverence?

Leonid K. Erdman / Леонид Константинович Эрдман performs

2011-07-16T15:09:00.004-05:00

В старой песенке поется:
После нас на этом свете
Пара факсов остается
И страничка в интернете...
(Виталий Калашников)

In an old song it says:
After us in this world
All that's left are couple of faxes
And a page on the internet...
(Vitali Kalashnikov)

On Pools and Open Records Request

2011-07-14T23:30:00.000-05:00

As I've been very busy with several projects, here is a quick catch up:

1. I couldn't be happier that the council reversed its earlier decision and restored hours at city pools. Back in October when we were discussing the budget, I could not find a "second" to bring this issue to a vote. Last Monday the only discussion seemed to be about the new hours and which pools were going to be open for 1 or 2 hours extra. It's amazing what a stream of citizens coming to speak to the council can do. Thank you to everyone who came, called and wrote emails. Everyone of you really helped to make a difference for our community. Thank you.

Janesville resident hot as budget cuts force shorter pool hours -- GazetteXtra - This story documented beginning of the citizens' outrage over the cut hours at the pool.

Janesville City Council restores much of pool cuts -- GazetteXtra - This story covered the council discussion and eventual decision on restoring of the pool cuts.

2. Open Records Request filed against me earlier was withdrawn. Thanks to everyone who contacted me to express your support throughout this ordeal. Thanks also to those anonymous callers who contacted the Sound Off to speak up on my behalf. I'm not a big fan of anonymous phone calls but it was great to see something positive in there for a change.

Perrotto drops Rashkin open records request -- GazetteXtra

Janesville Senior Center presents: Janesville's Got Talent Show

2011-07-02T15:45:00.000-05:00

I was a judge at this competition a couple of years ago and I look forward to lending a hand to this great Senior Center event again this year.

In the meantime, here are the particulars:

WHEN: Friday, August 12

WHERE: Riverview Room

TIME: 6:00 Pre-show Entertainment

6:30-8:00 p.m. Talent Show

COST: $2.00 to Attend the Show

This year we are sponsoring our 3^rd annual Janesville’s got talent show. We are presently getting our talent line-up set, and it looks to be another great show! This is a community event, and the public is welcome to attend. We all know that Janesville has lots of great talent just waiting to be discovered! All ages are represented, and each participant or group will have 6 minutes to perform. Sound equipment will be available to amplify the performers and play background CDs. Cookies, bars, punch and coffee will be available to purchase during the show and at the intermission. There will be a panel of judges to evaluate each act. First place will win $50.00 cash prize and second place act will win $25.00. Great door prizes donated by area businesses will be given out in drawings to those attending the show. Don’t miss this fun-filled event!! Applications need to be in by Friday, July 22. Auditions will take place on Monday, August 1 beginning at 4pm. Tickets will be sold at the door. If you would like to perform, please contact Pat Tobin or Janet McLean at 755-3040.

News Update

2011-07-01T23:25:00.000-05:00

Here's the dilemma:

I have no interest in perpetuating this subject any longer yet my goal is to document the events. However, once I document the events, that itself seemingly becomes the next step in escalation of the events. A little confusing, no? I guess that's what I get for taking up the role of covering and at the same time being in the middle of these same events.

One disclosure apparently does need to be made: this blog was never sanctioned officially or unofficially by the City of Janesville. I do not know how the City would sanction a blog. I started this blog as a candidate for City Council and continued after I was elected because I believe in the value of communication between elected officials and public. I never asked for this blog to be approved by anyone at the City of Janesville and my entries are not reviewed by anyone at the city before they are published. Everything published on this blog is available for anyone to review, including comments. Everything written on this blog, is done as a way for me to express my personal opinions and is in no way attempting to speak for Janesville City Council. I receive no compensation for writing this blog and the only advertisement at the bottom of this blog was placed there by the domain provider Register.com and results in no compensation for me whatsoever. If anyone has any questions about anything to do with my blog, please contact me and I will gladly answer any questions you have. In the meantime, I hope that you will continue reading www.YuriRashkin.com because this gives me an unprecedented opportunity to engage with our community in an ongoing conversation and raise the awareness level and importance of local politics to quality of our lives. Thank you.

Here's link to Marcia Nelesen story:

Former Janesville City Council member demands apology over blog posts -- GazetteXtra

And here's link to Stan Stricker's summary of the events:

Perrotto vs. Rashkin / July 4th Events -- WCLO

I will say this: I've been very impressed with the dedication and amount of research that Stan Stricker has done in order to bring the WCLO listeners a good understanding of the situation. While I could argue about the details (whenever a person is involved in a story, they will always feel that the journalist did not get it quite right - how could they, they weren't there!) I feel that not only Mr. Stricker has done a good job of summarizing the events for the listeners but he has clearly spent the time away from the microphone putting together sound clips, lining up and tracking the timeline of these events and so on. For what it's worth, as a news consumer, I'm impressed.

So there it is. As someone covering and writing about the news, I can't wait for the next chapter. As someone who is looking at actually having to do the work of fulfilling this public records request, I can't wait for this to be over. Our community has more important things to worry about and so do I.

Urgent Message!

2011-06-30T02:41:00.003-05:00

Friends, due to an open records request from former Councilmember Frank Perrotto, I have to sort through over 45,000 emails not to mention Facebook postings and text messages sent and received since being elected to the council in April of 2008. Though this is likely to take a substantial amount of time, if such is the price of voicing my opinion and speaking out, I will gladly pay it. However, I ask YOU to please show your support by donating to my re-election campaign fund to make sure I can stay on the council. Any amount is greatly appreciated with the maximum being $590. Thank you!

Contribute to Yuri Rashkin Re-Election Campaign Fund

Janesville City Council discusses Code of Conduct

2011-06-29T16:57:00.000-05:00

On Monday night, Janesville City Council discussed a proposed Code of Conduct, referred to by Gazette and WCLO as Code of Ethics.

Here's the news story by Marcia Nelesen
thttp://www.gazettextra.com/news/2011/jun/29/janesville-city-council-discusses-code-ethics/

Here's my appearance this morning on WCLO's Your Talk Show with Stan Stricker
http://wclo.com/podcasts/your-talk-show/2011/jun/29/city-council-ethics-and-project-1649/

Here's the video of the discussion:
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheYuri#p/a/u/0/xEms7we2cUs

Information on homeless shelters, food pantries and other items assistance in Rock County

2011-06-27T17:52:00.000-05:00

From Rob Wilkinson at First Call:

We have about 2500 programs in our computers to supply a variety of needs for people. People can access our website for information www.firstcallrock.com or call 608-752-3100.

All the agencies that try to provide for the needs of people in our area have been overwhelmed. Not just now, but for quite some time and the situation is not really getting better. If anything it is getting worse because of all the funding cuts by the state and federal governments. There are many organizations that offer help to people. But every program has some criteria for people to meet to receive those services. An example is the counties Economic Support program, which helps families with minor children with rent assistance once a year, but they must be homeless or have received an eviction notice. Now if they are staying with family, they are not considered homeless. With the needs increasing and the funds being cut, they have more limitations on the available funds. There is also a rock county residency requirement of a period of time.

We have three primary homeless shelters in Rock County. All have essentially been full with waiting lists since at least October 2003. Occasionally they have been able to help on short notice, but this is the exception. Shelter information is below:

1 -House of Mercy – Janesville, families 754-0045

2 -Hands of Faith – Beloit, families 353-0683

3 -The Sparrows Nest – Beloit, homeless people 362-8215

GIFTS – Janesville, men,728-0140 (October – April)

Ruth’s House – Janesville, women, 262-210-1330

Living Waters Ministry – Janesville, men transitional living 758-1476

The Brittan House – Beloit, men, 365-4787

Alternative to Violence (YWCA) – Janesville, women & children 752-5445

Beloit Domestic Violence Center – Beloit, women & children 365-1119

Primary foods pantries: most provide a wide range of services: some also provide rent assistance:

ECHO Janesville 754-5333

Caritas Beloit 362-4403

Edgerton Community Outreach – 882-9593

Milton Community Action Food Pantry 868-1166

Orfordville Food Pantry 879-2575

Christ Lutheran Church – Clinton 676-4994

Evansville Ecumenical Care Closet 882-4532

Salvation Army 757-8300 & 365-6572 (also provide meals)

Love INC – Janesville (Rock County & stateline area) 531-1880 (Mon –Thu 9am – 12noon)

Clothing, furniture, appliances, etc:

Acts of Kindness – Janesville (Rock County area) 728-0841 (Mon, Wed & Fri 1pm – 5pm)

Love INC

Salvation Army Stores (need vouchers obtained at the Salvation Army citadels)

Goodwill Stores – Beloit 299-0072, Janesville (need apply to corporate office in Milwaukee)

St Vincent DePaul – Beloit 362-6775

All of these agencies need help, financial, and food, clothing and furniture items, etc, to meet the needs of the people in our area. Summers, there is also a need for air conditioners and fans.

Volunteer Network of United Way of North Rock County, the Voluntary Action Center in Beloit, and RSVP, are also a few of the agencies needing volunteers. There’s always enough work to go around.

Why Defend Wisconsin News Round Up?

2011-06-25T20:56:00.001-05:00

1. Because someone had to.

Putting together links to news stories about what has been taking place in Wisconsin since mid-February 2011 was something that had to be done. My favorite news website is www.politicalwire.com which brings together best political stories nationwide. Having been an avid, regular reader of Political Wire, when Wisconsin Protests began, I knew that a website bringing together relevant news about the situation in Wisconsin had to exist yet it was missing. I am glad that DWNRU can plug that "hole".

2. History

Facebook provides an unbelievable, never seen before opportunity to share information. But once the story is "shared" on Facebook it goes away. Additionally, considering the furious pace with which new stories were coming out in February and March, I knew that sharing each of these stories would be an overload, an overkill of sorts for my Facebook friends. Therefore it seemed that putting together all of these headlines together in one place and releasing them in chunks made the most sense.

Additionally, the Archivist in me feels that it is important to preserve these news stories as resource for future readers, researchers and historians, who will look at what is happening in these, by no measure ordinary times, and will see how the events unfolded, how they were covered, who said what and in what order.

3. Communication

To my great satisfaction, DWNRU is being read nationwide, which means there are people in Virginia, California and everywhere in-between, who are paying attention to what is going on in Wisconsin. That part of the puzzle is vital. After all, if you did something and nobody knew about it, the impact of your action will not be as significant. DWNRU brings together news about Wisconsin Protests that is relevant, timely and regular.

4. To bring together local voices

Rock County and more specifically, Janesville area where this blog originates, has its share of talented, passionate people who are excellent writers. Bringing local voices together and giving them a bigger stage has been a wonderful opportunity for me to share opinions of real people with the rest of the state and the world. Whether it is Vivian Creekmore's Love Letters or John Jenks' musings about the relationship between Scott Walker, Paul Ryan and Ayn Rand, these are thoughts worth reading and I'm glad to be able to help share these with a wider audience.

Thank you for continuing to count on Defend Wisconsin News Round Up to provide you with the regular round up of news relevant to Wisconsin Protests and thank you for helping us spread the word about this site. For our part we will continue to work hard to make sure Wisconsin remains as Bob LaFollette called it: "Laboratory of Democracy"!

Have you seen Rock Aqua Jays lately?

2011-06-24T00:46:00.000-05:00

Rock Aqua Jays are a nationally recognized water skiing team made up of local enthusiasts. RAJ been around for quite sometime, won many championships and you can see their history and schedule of their shows at their website www.RockAquaJays.com.

Should the weather cooperate, this August they will host the National Water Skiing Championship. If you have not seen their show lately - go! - it's a lot of fun and something else that's free to do in Janesville on a summer evening for the whole family. That is unless you and your entire family are already in the show. :)

Here is a little video I put together with the footage I recorded at Rock Aqua Jays show last Sunday. Enjoy!

Tea Party = Closet Liberals?

2011-06-23T00:08:00.000-05:00

Recently, at a gathering at my house celebrating all sorts of good things, I found myself manning the grill and standing between two friends: an avid Tea Party supporter and a liberal, proud of her involvement in Madison protests of 1970s. I was getting concerned that fireworks having nothing to do with the grill, were inevitable. To my great surprise, my two friends not knowing each others' political backgrounds, quickly found common ground on, of all things, the ID bill (since signed into law). Both couldn't stand the idea of government keeping such close track of their identity and creating guidelines and rules they needed to follow in order to exercise their constitutional right to vote. It made me think that perhaps the two ends of the political spectrum are closer than many want us may be prepared to believe.

One of the worst things Governor Walker in Wisconsin and the right wing political machine nationwide are attempting to do, is to create an impression that there is a great big divide between the left and the right. This view, once accepted, allows extremist politicians to place themselves at the top of their respective totem polls in order to continue to define what the view looks like from up above, and to attempt to prove to others that they belong there with the radicals as well. But is it really so? Are there just two points of view in America, one being THE left and another one being THE right?

There is more than one issue that brings conservatives and liberals together. A recent example of one such recent issue may be Arbitration. In April, Supreme Court of the United States issued a decision affecting consumers' ability to argue with binding arbitration. Hailed as "crushing blow to American consumers and employees" by attorney representing Public Citizen, this decision was also decried by conservative blog Varight as subjecting consumers to "unaccountable court system".

Another issue where liberals and Tea Party supporters may find common ground is military spending, seen by both sides as wasteful and excessive. Corporate welfare, Federal Reserve, trade agreements, Whistleblower bill and energy independence are more of the issues where liberals and conservatives have been able to find common ground. Perhaps the time has come to finally realize that these are not anomalies but an indication of the populist paradigm re-emerging in American politics. A paradigm that wants Government to adhere to common set of rules while protecting freedoms and opportunity for individuals.

What all of these have in common, is the concern shared by both Tea Party and Liberal activists that our government is really controlled by military and corporate interests. Creating the false divide of "right" and "left" and using labels such as "socialism", only furthers the supposed divide and muddies the issue. Yes, obviously there are disagreements between the Tea Party supporters and progressives, but the differences that separate the two extremes, do not negate and may not even be as important as the things that bring us together.

Visually speaking, perhaps the political spectrum is not a single line with one end being the far left and the other end being the far right, or a circle with far left meeting the far right but more of a net or a fabric, consisting of threads which sometimes come together and other times drift apart. Through our common connections, we are all a part of a greater singular whole and we find common language through our common concerns and desires. And when tragedy strikes, it is not attack on one, but on all because a hole in one part of the fabric damages the entire material.

Could it be that the most determined Tea Party believers are closer to the radical liberals than both are willing to admit?

City Council Ethics Policy and City Pools update

2011-06-22T11:26:00.000-05:00

Couple of City Council-related stories ran in the Janesville Gazette over the past few days I would like to address:

#1. Janesville resident hot as budget cuts force shorter pool hours -- GazetteXtra

During the budget discussion last year, I spoke strongly and on several occasions in favor of keeping the pools open and not cutting back the hours of operation. I believe that the savings achieved by limiting the number of hours the facilities are open, are not making our community a better place and in fact limit already available service the city provides to residents. Most of the savings will be achieved by cutting the hours of life guards and any other staff needed to run the facilities. Not only is this taking out money out of the pockets of local kids, who live in local taxpayers' homes but this is limiting use of a facility that taxpayers pay money to build, operate and maintain and now are less able to use.

However, it takes 4 votes on a 7-member body to pass anything and the votes for restoring the pool hours were not there. I still believe that should enough residents come to a council meeting and speak to the value that both Rockport and the wading pools provide to our community, the council will re-look at the situation.

Thus, if you feel strongly that the pools should be available to the residents during the hot Wisconsin summers to use now as they were in the past, come and speak to the council.

#2. Council President George Brunner together with Councilmember Kathy Voskuil are bringing up for council discussion a possible Ethics Policy for the council to consider. I am not opposed to this idea and see a lot of possible good that could come out of this if done right. However, when I read the story in the paper, I got somewhat concerned that this policy (which at the time I have not seen yet) was going to somehow attempt to limit the freedom of expression members of the council enjoy. Here is the story in the Gazette:
Janesville City Council to discuss ethics policy -- GazetteXtra

Before the text of this proposed policy was made public, Gazette went further and wrote an editorial stating the Ethics Policy was a good idea, once again referring to my walking out on Governor Walker's speech when he came to speak at the annual Forward Janesville dinner earlier this year.
"Does city of Janesville need ethics policy?" by Opinion Matters -- GazetteXtra

And then the text of the proposed policy emerged and as expected it has little to nothing to do with limiting behavior of individual members, with the exception of expressly forbidding the use of cell phones at council meetings. Thanks to Councilmember Sam Liebert who published the proposed policy on his blog:
Sam Liebert's Blog: Ethics policy for Janesville? The proposed policy spells out some basic goals that any member of any elected body should thrive to achieve in terms of civility, diligence and some basic code of behavior and conduct. Additionally many other communities have this type of policy on file while Janesville does not.

At this point, I look forward to a healthy discussion about the policy and we'll see where it goes from there. Establishing guidelines on Ethics is a good thing but I want to make sure that this is not, to quote Senator Cullen, "a solution in search of a problem", and that it actually helps the council get its work done.

What Will Happen Next? My article in a New York City on-line magazine

2011-06-21T00:57:00.002-05:00

My friend is involved with a group that just launched a new online literary magazine in New York City called Construction. Find it at www.ConstructionLitMag.com and on Facebook.

Here's my article, which I wrote for Construction this spring, looking to tell New Yorkers some things about what is going on right here in Wisconsin:

http://www.constructionlitmag.com/politics/whatwillhappennext.aspx

Photograph by Yuri Rashkin

Excerpt: "To say that most supporters of candidate
Scott Walker expected or hoped to see him
do half the things he’s done since getting
elected would be an overstatement. The governor’s
policies have been a surprise not only to his opponents,
but to his supporters too. He has taken such drastic
measures that Democrats are touting former
Governor Tommy Thompson, the previous
standard for bull-headed Republican leadership,
as an example of the bipartisanship that Walker
should aspire to match."

Janesville Mile Chalk Walk updates

2011-06-12T15:19:00.001-05:00

Here's the Janesville Gazette story about Art Infusion Along the Janesville Mile - the next incarnation of the Chalk Walk.

Organizers hoping crowds, dollars will flock to Janesville art event -- GazetteXtra

And here is the video by Bob Webster of Marsh Creek Outdoors documenting the first Janesville Mile Chalk Walk, which took place in October, 2010. Thanks, Bob!

YouTube - Janesville Mile Chalk Walk Part 1

YouTube - Janesville Mile Chalk Walk Part 2

YouTube - Janesville Mile Chakl Walk part 3

Why Meeting Between Janesville and Beloit City Councils Matters

2011-06-09T17:28:00.002-05:00

On Tuesday night, for the first time, the full Janesville and Beloit City Councils sat around the same table to discuss how we can partner together to help both of our communities. While the significance of this meeting is hard to overestimate, here are my

5 Reasons Meeting Between Janesville and Beloit City Councils Matters:

1. Communication. While Janesville and Beloit City Managers and Council Presidents meet on regular basis, and I am friends with several members of BCC, this was the first opportunity for the full councils of our two, nearly adjacent cities, to communicate in an official capacity. As one member of Beloit City Council said: "this was an opportunity for us to sit down and look each other in the eye, size each other up and see if we can work together. And the answer was a resound "Yes!""

Many people around the table said that we don't have all the answers but that is why both cities have competent staff which can look at the available resources, connect with their counterparts and look for ways in which we can create savings and make our resources go further. What the councils showed is that we are supportive of these efforts and we want our staff to find new ways of greater cooperation.

2. Economic Development. Both Beloit and Janesville are subject to much of the same larger economic forces, and what is going on in Madison these days. Both communities know that if jobs are created in Janesville or in Beloit, it will help both cities. We know that we are in this together and we need to approach economic development jointly. Beloit and Janesville worked together a few years ago when we tried to save Janesville GM plant and that has created an important precedent going forward. Additionally, we are already working together through Rock County 5.0.

3. Location, Location, Location. When thinking about how to get to the meeting, I first considered taking the Janesville City Jet. Then I remembered we do not have a jet. Then I remembered that Beloit and Janesville have one joint Rock County Airport because... we are so close to each other. And so I got on my scooter and went down to the new Beloit Library located in the beautifully remodeled Eclipse Center. For those wh are curious, my gas bill for the trip to Beloit and back on my scooter was... $2.

When I lived in Salt Lake City, part of the city where I lived was further away from downtown Salt Lake than Janesville is from Beloit. Yet for so many years, our two communities have looked at each other with distrust. I'm glad that we took first steps to begin moving forward as partners.

4. Helping each other. Janesville and Beloit can help each other. Whether it is through joint purchasing or through sharing of expertise, two are stronger than one. Each community has a distinct identity yet both Janesville and Beloit have strengths which, if shared, can help both get further ahead. An important suggestion made at the meeting by Beloit Councilwoman Sheila DeForest was for each community to create a list of services it offers and any particular areas of expertise it has. Then at our next meeting, this list can be discussed and conversation can move forward.

5. Lead by example. There are many more communities in Rock County than just Janesville and Beloit. But if its two biggest cities can come together and show that interaction and cooperation is possible, this will show others that working together is the way to achieve more, and to move towards that regional thinking we keep talking about. There is much work to be done but for our future and for our people, it is important that Janesville and Beloit City Councils got together and began this important conversation.

Media coverage of the meeting:

Janesville Gazette
Preview of the meeting: http://gazettextra.com/news/2011/jun/01/janesville-beloit-councils-meet/
Recap: http://gazettextra.com/news/2011/jun/08/beloit-janesville-councils-meet-discuss-collaborat/

Beloit Daily News
Preview of the meeting: http://www.beloitdailynews.com/articles/2011/05/25/news/local_news/news2502.txt
Recap: http://www.beloitdailynews.com/articles/2011/06/08/news/local_news/news802.txt

My appearance on WCLO Your Talk with Jim Lyke following the meeting
http://www.wclo.com/podcasts/your-talk-show/2011/jun/08/beloit-and-janesville/

Art Infusion along the Janesville Mile is coming!

2011-06-09T12:32:00.000-05:00

JANESVILLE - The Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau has been awarded a Joint Effort Marketing Grant (JEM) grant totaling $10,000 by the Wisconsin Department of Tourism. The purpose of this Grant is to provide marketing assistance to a new event that will help to generate an increase in number of visitors and dollars brought into the local area.

The JACVB has been working for several months to plan just such an event. The event called “Art Infusion… Along the Janesville Mile” will take place September 16,17 & 18, 2011. The JACVB hopes it will attract both new and returning visitors. Some of the goals the JACVB has for this new event are to enhance art appreciation, cultivate art education, grow community spirit, while showcasing downtown Janesville (the Janesville Mile) to residents and visitors alike.

The event will incorporate many interesting and maybe even unusual art forms. There will also be competitions for those age 13 and older (including adults). Competitions will include sidewalk chalk art (street painting), interactive performance art (busker-style) and flash mobs. Kids 12 and under will have an opportunity to participate in the creation of a community sidewalk chalk art mural.

“One of the very exciting aspects of this event is that Master Chalk Artist/Street Painter Lee Jones will be the event’s featured artist,” said Christine Rebout, JACVB Executive Director. “Attendees will be able to watch Lee in action as she creates a chalk art mural while the event is taking place. She will also teach free street painting classes to event participants before the event is held.”

Lee Jones has worked as a freelance artist and production artist before opening her own design studio in 1990. Lee has been street painting since 1994 and has participated in festivals all across the US.

Check out this video about Lee Jones:
YouTube - Chalk Artist Lee Jones at Downtown Disney's Festival of the Masters - Tangled

Want to learn more about the Janesville Mile? Check out Janesville Convention & Visitors Bureau page about it right here: Janesville Mile

What is Janesville Mile? Take a look at this Discover Janesville video that tells you all about it:
YouTube - Discover Janesville with Yuri Rashkin - Christine Rebout - part 1

Janesville City Council letter to Joint Committee on Finance, Wisconsin State Legislature

2011-05-22T22:03:00.001-05:00

Here is the letter that Janesville City Council voted to send to Joint Committee on Finance on May 11, 2011 reflecting Council's strong concern about the loss of substantial amount of State Shared Revenue and its impact on our community.

Joint Committee on Finance, Wisconsin State Legislature

Senator Alberta Darling, Co-Chair
Senator Luther Olsen
Senator Sheila Harsdorf
Senator Joe Liebham
Senator Glenn Grothman
Senator Randy Hopper
Senator Lena Taylor
Senator Robert Jauch

Representative Robin Vos, Co-Chair
Representative Dan Meyer
Representative Dan LeMahieu
Representative John Nygren
Representative Pat Strachota
Representative Joel Kleefisch
Representative Tamara Grigsby
Representative Jennifer Schilling

Re: State Budget bill, AB40/SB27,

Dear Senators and Representatives:

On behalf of the City of Janesville, the City Council offers the following comments on the State budget bill. We understand the difficult task the Joint Committee on Finance is undertaking for the next biennial budget and support several provisions in the budget including increases in funding for economic development and exempt computer aid payment, and maintenance of funding for the Expenditure Restraint Program, which has proven to be a successful program in past years.

However, we have a few areas in which we wish to express concern and request the Joint Finance Committee consider changes in the budget bill. According to a report from the Legislative Fiscal bureau (LFB) dated May 2, 2011, the City of Janesville is the third hardest hit city in the State by the changes proposed in the biennial budget. The LFB report indicates that total state aid for Janesville under the proposed budget will decline by 5% as a percentage of the 2010/2011 taxes plus aid payments. Whereas, the average decline for all 193 cities on the list is only 3.0%. This comes on the heels of the worst economic downturn in memory which saw the closure of the General Motors assembly plant and other manufacturing suppliers who supported the General Motors assembly plant in Janesville. The reductions in operations and closures of the various manufacturing facilities led to the elimination of over 6,000 jobs.

In response to the closure of General Motors and Supplier facilities, the City Council has been extremely concerned over the last several years regarding increasing property taxes in Janesville and has limited the increases well below the levy limit. The proposed substantial cut in the biennial budget will create a very negative impact in our community.

Recycling Grants
The recycling grants have traditionally been funded through landfill tipping fees and placed into a trust fund. The recycling grants are important to Janesville and its residents in maintaining curbside collection of recyclables. The concern of some members of the Joint Committee on Finance regarding the reduction of the Recycle Grant funding is appreciated. We strongly support the continuation of this program.

General Transportation Aids
The budget would reduce transportation aids to the City of Janesville by $349,000. We support the Urban Alliance's position requesting you consider reducing or eliminating the cut to the general transportation aids program. We additionally urge you to retain the 5% ceiling on the maximum reduction in GTA cuts a community can receive.

Transit Funding
The proposed budget both contains 10% public transit funding cuts, as well as moving public transit from the Transportation Fund to the General Fund. This would potentially damage the ability for Janesville to operate its public transit system. We believe these cuts to public transit would significantly impact the community, and disproportionately hurt the elderly, disabled, and lower income families. We respectfully request the Joint Finance Committee place public transit funding back into the Transportation Fund.

Reduction in State Shared Revenues
We understand State Share Revenues need to be reduced due to the fiscal challenges meeting the State and support the notion that everyone should share in the burden. Our concern is the formula calculation for Janesville, which appears to be disproportionate (compared to other cities) within the State of Wisconsin. We request that you evaluate the formula, and look at whether anything can be done to mitigate our unique situation.

We thank you and appreciate your attention to our comments regarding the State Budget Bill and its impact on the City of Janesville. Should you wish to discuss any of these topics, please don't hesitate to contact our City Manger, Eric Levitt, at 608-755-3177 or levitte@ci.janesville.wi.us

Sincerely,
George D. Brunner
City Council President

Graduating from UW - Whitewater with M.S. in Mass Communication

2011-05-22T21:33:00.000-05:00

This journey started in January of 2009 and now, two and a half years later, I was notified that I completed the program requirements and was cleared for graduation. Over the course of my education at UW - Whitewater I learned much, met many wonderful people and wrote lots of papers, some of which were actually pretty good. Now, it's the time to put what I learned into practice.

What's next? There are some things in the hopper, but then again with me, there are always things in the hopper. There is always an exciting opportunity ahead, things to accomplish, people to help and move the ball forward. All right, enough with the idioms.

Putting even a Master's degree in Communications to good use isn't always easy. At this point the plan is to continue my work as a Russian court interpreter, Music Director at Luther Memorial church in Delavan, host various media projects such as "Tuesdays with Yuri" and "Discover Janesville", perform, teach, and do more communications consulting. Putting together what I've learned from my various experiences combined with my new degree, I believe I can help many people and good causes in our community and beyond.

"Tuesdays with Yuri" welcomes Steve "Gen X" Knox

2011-05-17T10:01:00.002-05:00

Check out this interview with Steve Knox, the man behind the popular GazetteExtra.com blog "Gen X" and learn about what was the hardest blog Steve ever had to write, why he does it and what he thinks of people leaving anonymous comments about his writing.
http://www.localvisiontv.com/Home/VideoPlayer/TabId/196/VideoId/9058/Tuesdays-With-Yuri-Steve-Knox.aspx

"Tuesdays with Yuri" welcomes K. Andreah Briarmoon

2011-05-17T10:00:00.000-05:00

Check out the interview with K. Andreah Briarmoon and learn more about one of the most controversial Janesville residents and 7-time candidate for Janesville City Council:

http://www.localvisiontv.com/Home/VideoPlayer/TabId/196/VideoId/9005/Tuesdays-With-Yuri-K-Andreah-Briarmoon-Part-1.aspx

http://www.localvisiontv.com/Home/VideoPlayer/TabId/196/VideoId/9006/Tuesdays-With-Yuri-K-Andreah-Briarmoon-Part-2.aspx

Charlie Chaplin Silent Comedy Showcase

2011-05-16T22:56:00.002-05:00

Last Friday, together with JATV and Pat Thom of UW Rock County, we put together a Charlie Chaplin silent comedy showcase /JATV fundraiser, featuring yours truly accompanying three Charlie Chaplin short comedies on piano, live.

As you know, the silent movies were never really silent, they merely lacked dialog. Instead they featured music courtesy of a piano or an organ player and sometimes even a full orchestra. While some movies had specific musical scores written just for them, more often they were accompanied by a musician who saw the movie may be once prior to playing music for it. Similarly to those old-time professionals, I reviewed the films and prepared a few specific cues. Otherwise, the music for this one hour presentation was improvised.

Everyone had a great time and though the audience was small, considering that this was the first time anything of this sort was done in Janesville (in so far as anyone could remember), and this being quite possibly the first experience of seeing a silent movie with live accompaniment for most members of the audience, it makes sense that this kind of an event has room to grow.

This was a combination of me doing something that I love - improvised accompaniment of silent movies - combined with the great art of Charlie Chaplin. And to make it even better, we were able to raise some money for JATV! We are very happy with the feedback so stay tuned to see if there is another silent movie showcase event in the future, perhaps featuring another Charlie Chaplin classic or some of the great comedies by Buster Keaton or some other silent movie greats.

In the meantime, I am taking this show on the road so if you want to schedule a performance - contact me!

Here is some of the feedback we got from audience members:

Mike Southers: I thought it was fun. I even told the gentleman that let us out, we (Kerry and I) would come again. It was a very nice blend of history, film, and music.....educational and entertaining. I also liked the timing. 90 to 120 minutes. Not too long or too short. Just right in my book.

Kerry Bergwall Southers: It really was a great time. Now that the boys are old enough to stay on their own, it was like a date night for Mike and I. Have not had one of those in over 13 years!

Teresa Nguyen: Loved it! What an entertainment "package"! I'd recommend you DO take this "on the road" Yuri. Awesome piano for the movies, too, Yuri. Of course, we all know how very talented you are, but as a musician, I know that it took some coordination and work on your part to fit the moods & actions of the film and to pull it off so smoothly, as you did! Bravo! :)

Tracie Linck: I would highly recommend that people attend if Yuri does another event like this. I am not sure which was better - the great movies which I have never seen before and loved them - or Yuri's music which I haven't heard before and now I have to get his CDs because I loved his music.

Joint meeting of Janesville and Beloit City Councils

2011-05-04T11:04:00.001-05:00

One of the things that's been brought up for as long as I can remember is the seeming "glass wall" divide between the communities of Janesville and Beloit. There have been some historical reasons for it, but this is 2011 and it hardly seems reasonable that two communities just minutes apart from each other are not working closer together to learn from each other and address issues that affect both of us.

Not too long ago, I had the opportunity to sit down with Sheila DeForest, member of Beloit City Council and talk about this and other issues that affect both cities. Sheila and I agreed that bringing our two councils together is something that should help get the conversation started. In the past month, both Janesville and Beloit City Councils have endorsed this idea and now on June 7, at 6:30 there will be the first joint meeting of Beloit and Janesville City councils at Beloit Library.

In your opinion, what are some of the issues that affect both Janesville and Beloit? What are some things that Beloit and Janesville can learn from each other?

Volunteer Appreciation Event

2011-05-04T10:35:00.000-05:00

Few months ago, I proposed to Eric Levitt, Janesville City Manager, that we should make more of an effort to recognize those that volunteer time and effort to make our community a better place. Specifically, I wanted to make sure that we recognize the many committee members who lend their time and expertise to the city at absolutely no charge. I also want to give the many different committee members the opportunity to get to know each other, visit and communicate. Our community relies on so many volunteers to get the work done yet so many people who serve on various committees are not aware of what other committees there are, what they do, or who serves on them. Having an appreciation event like the one tonight, will provide the opportunity for these fine folks to get to know each other and our community better. I am very glad that with Eric's support, tonight we will have the first such event at the Riverside Park.

It is my hope that this event will become a tradition because so much of what we do in Janesville relies on the goodwill of community members, not just today or tomorrow but at all times and we need to recognize and show our appreciation of it. The culture of volunteering is strong and proud in Janesville - not only are members of every citizen committee are unpaid, but so are members of the council. And this makes our community stronger because it requires all of us to step up, not for the paycheck but because we believe in what community service stands for, what public service stands for and what Janesville stands for.

Please join me and others tonight at Riverside Park at 5 pm for the Volunteer Appreciation Event.

To all the committee and council members - thank you for your service!

"Tuesdays with Yuri" welcomes the Queen of Green Julie Watson Backenkeller

2011-04-27T10:50:00.004-05:00

Check out this week's episode of Tuesdays with Yuri featuring a conversation with Queen of Green Julie Watson Backenkeller. Julie talks about what fuels her passion for environment, Sustainable Janesville Committee and Gazette coverage of the new mega dairy - the "Walmart of Dairies".

http://www.localvisiontv.com/Home/VideoPlayer/TabId/196/VideoId/8961/Tuesdays-With-Yuri-Julie-Watson-Backenkeller-Part-1.aspx

In part two of our conversation Julie talks about the foaming water in the river, her future in politics, the comprehensive plan, role of government in protecting environment, the horrors of Styrofoam and answers our 5 Questions!

http://www.localvisiontv.com/Channel/GovernmentVision/GovernmentVisionPlayer/TabId/116/VideoId/8963/Tuesdays-With-Yuri-Julie-Watson-Backenkeller-Part-2.aspx

"Tuesdays with Yuri" welcomes Rock County Clerk and Janesville School Board Commissioner Lori Stottler

2011-04-21T00:41:00.000-05:00

Lori Stottler on Kathy Nikolaus - Waukesha County Clerk - validity of elections, and what it takes to remove a County Clerk

http://www.localvisiontv.com/Home/VideoPlayer/TabId/196/VideoId/8899/Tuesdays-With-Yuri-Lori-Stottler-Part-1.aspx

Lori Stottler on the Janesville School District crisis, role of the school board and the superintendent
http://www.localvisiontv.com/Channel/GovernmentVision/GovernmentVisionPlayer/TabId/116/VideoId/8901/Tuesdays-With-Yuri-Lori-Stottler-Part-2.aspx

Lori Stottler on Janesville teacher layoffs, high school sports, school board choices over the last few years and closing a high school

http://www.localvisiontv.com/Home/VideoPlayer/TabId/196/VideoId/8902/Tuesdays-With-Yuri-Lori-Stottler-Part-3.aspx

5 Questions with Lori Stottler

http://www.localvisiontv.com/Channel/GovernmentVision/GovernmentVisionPlayer/TabId/116/VideoId/8903/5-Qs-With-Lori-Stottler.aspx

CBC Sunday Edition radio documentary on Wisconsin protests features Janesville

2011-04-17T14:16:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Canadian reporter Ira Basin who was in Janesville doing a documentary on Wisconsin protests. Ira's radio documentary aired this morning on CBC Sunday Edition. Here is the link to the documentary: http://www.cbc.ca/thesundayedition/shows/2011/04/17/ethnic-strategists---gurjinder-basran---wisconsin-documentary/#hour3 Scroll up to find "Listen to Hour Three: (Pop-up). By the way, the band you hear in the piece, playing at "Sneakers", is the Ritual (http://www.theritualband.com/) featuring yours truly on bass guitar and keys.

Few basic expressions in Russian

2011-04-11T00:15:00.002-05:00

A friend is heading to Russia to help another friend with adoption. I was asked for help translating some of the most basic things that one may need to say in Russian. Here's what I got so far.

Zdra-stvui-te, vy govorite po-Russki? Hello, do you speak Russian?
Ska-zhi-te po-zha-lus-ta, gde zhen-ski (moozh-skoi) tualet? Would you please tell me, where's women's (men's) restroom?
Ya hotela be chai s molokom i saharom. I would like tea with cream and sugar.
Skolko? or Skolko za eto? How much? or How much is that?
Spasibo. Thank you.
Gde. Where
Kak skazat'. How to say
Eto ochen' krasivo. Very beautiful
Net spasibo. No thank you
Mogu ya vas snyat? Can I take your picture?
Pa-zha-lu-sta. Please
Da and net. Yes and no.
O-chen pree-at-na. Nice to meet you.
Das-ve-dan-ya. Goodbye.
Ya ne govoryoo pa-russki. I don't speak Russian.
Ya ne pa-ne-ma-you. I don't understand.
Horosho. Good.
Pro-sti-te. Excuse me.

1-10 in Russian

Odin. One
Dva. Two
Tree. Three
Che-ty-re. Four
Pyat. Five
Shest'. Six
Sem'. Seven
Vosem. Eight
De-vyat'. Nine
De-syat'. Ten

Have you been to Russia or dealt with adoption of a child from Russia? What other expression should I include here?

League of Wisconsin Municipalities: Proposed Local Savings Cover only 61% of State Funding Cuts

2011-04-07T14:20:00.002-05:00

Madison, WI. – Gov. Walker’s state budget bill proposes cuts in five major funding programs for municipalities. Together the cuts total $136 million. In announcing the proposed cuts, Gov. Walker pointed to provisions in his budget repair bill that would require some local workers to pay a portion of their health care and pension benefits. The Governor explained that the savings for local governments would offset

the loss of state funding.

For the past several weeks, the League of Wisconsin Municipalities has worked with local treasurers and finance directors to analyze the full impact of the cuts and the

savings. Based on worksheets from 36 large communities, the proposed savings will cover only 61% of the funding cuts in 2012.

The worksheets came from members of the Urban Alliance, an organization within the League focused on the needs of larger communities. After reviewing the compiled data, Mayor John Dickert of Racine, President of the Urban Alliance, said,

“The Governor gave us tools to cover some the funding cuts. Now we need to work with the Joint Committee on Finance to find ways to cover the other 39%. Simply shifting the state budget deficit to local budgets doesn’t help the taxpayers of

Wisconsin.”

Some communities will save little in health insurance from the Governor’s proposal. Mayor Ron Krueger of Watertown noted, “All of our city employees already pay 10% of their health insurance premiums. Going to 12% as the Governor suggests doesn’t save us much—about $17,500 a year—and Watertown will lose almost $650,000 in state funding in 2012.”

Also, pension contributions by utility workers will not help with the general fund revenue cuts. As Mayor Tim Hanna of Appleton pointed out, “Our total payroll is

$38 million, but only about one-third goes for civilian employees in the general fund. A 5.8% pension payment from those employees will save Appleton a little

under $800,000 in 2012, but Appleton is losing almost $1.9 million in funding.”

More info available at www.lwm-info.org

Poll questions comment thread

2011-03-31T14:52:00.003-05:00

To your right are poll questions regarding WCLO and its morning talk show. Please take a second to let me know what you think and use the comments section on this blog entry for any comments you may have. Thank you.

Appearing on WCLO with Dan Conry and other thoughts

2011-03-31T13:51:00.001-05:00

This morning, following Councilman Perrotto's phone call to Dan Conry, Dan asked me to stop in, which I did. Dan and I spoke for a few minutes on the air. Here's a link to the podcast.

http://wclo.com/podcasts/dan-conry-show/2011/mar/31/yuri-rashkin/

Janesville Gazette also wrote a story about the Forward Janesville dinner featuring Governor Walker and events that followed it. It will be posted later today (probably around 4 pm) online, at which point I will post a link as an update to this blog entry.

I want to take this opportunity to thank the many many people who thanked me for doing what I consider to be my duty and responsibility - represent the many people of Janesville who could not do what I did - Walk Out on Governor Walker. Your support has reaffirmed what I already knew, which is that Janesville is full of great people, many of whom do not support the Governor though some still do.

Going Forward.

Even before I was elected to the Council in 2008, I knew that being in public office, one can never please everyone, and this time is certainly no different, but I want to assure you that I will continue to take my measured, open-minded approach to issues that affect our community and evaluate each issue that comes before me one at a time in a non-partisan manner. Throughout my time on the council I have at various times agreed and disagreed with every Councilmember which to me is the true measure of non-partisanship. I will continue to solicit your feedback and communicate with you to the best of my abilities. through phone calls, emails, Facebook and good old personal contact. I very much appreciate all the emails of support I have received, and the few emails from those who disagree with my decision.

I look forward to receiving the next Council agenda packet and continuing to address the important issues facing our community just like I always have - one issue at a time.

Please let me know if I can be of service.

Yuri Rashkin

UPDATE: Here's the link to the Gazette story on the matter: http://www.gazettextra.com/news/2011/mar/31/walk-out-walker-has-janesville-city-council-sparri/

Email from Janesville City Councilman Frank Perrotto

2011-03-30T12:05:00.009-05:00

For anyone curious, Councilman Perrotto is up for re-election on April 5.

Upon receiving this email, I gave Councilman Perrotto 5 minutes to apologize before I post his email on the internet. Since he did not, here it is.

"Councilman Yuri

I went to your web site and I was appalled.

How dare you conduct yourself, as representative of this Council, by continuing to flaunt your partisan ideologies.

You walk out before the Governor gave his speech as a form of protest. You are disgrace to this council.

You claim you are representing the people. That is nonsense! What about all the people of Janesville who support the Governor. How are you representing them with this despicable behavior?

You should publicly apologize to the citizens of Janesville for your behavior!
Moreover you should repay the city for the cost of the taxpayers dollars that were use to send you to this dinner.

I heard you even joined the protestors after you left....Not even you would be that stupid!

Your actions on the steps of the Courthouse were outrageous. You used your position as a City Councilman to speak against the republicans actions concerning the budget. All under the guise that you represent and speak for the people of Janesville...NONSENSE. You jeopardized the city , its citizens and this council. We need to work with both sides of the legisative body in Madison . Not just your Democrat brothers and sisters. What were you thinking?

Maybe it's time for you to reassess why you are on the City Council"

UPDATE: Video of Councilman Perrotto speaking about the letter Janesville City Council sent to our State Representatives opposing Governor Walker's Budget Repair Bill:

http://www.localvisiontv.com/Channel/CommunityCAM/JanesvilleCommunityCam/JanesvilleCamPlayer/TabId/145/VideoId/8440/Frank-Perrotto-Of-The-Janesville-City-Council-Argues-Sending-Letter-To-Scott-Walker.aspx

UPDATE #2: I went ahead and paid Forward Janesville $55 for my dinner ticket. I feel strongly that Councilmember Perrotto should do the same.

Why I Walked Out on Governor Walker

2011-03-29T22:01:00.002-05:00

1. I could.

I did what many people felt they could not do. Many people at the dinner could not get up and leave without potentially endangering many business and professional relationships, or at least they felt that's what they would be doing. Others wanted to stay out of curiosity to see what the Governor will do and say. I totally respect these point of view.

Throughout the dinner I saw people express their disapproval of Governor Walker by not clapping when his name was mentioned and when his name was announced and I left, I saw that some people did not stand up to welcome the Governor. It was a very tense evening and I hold Governor responsible for dividing the community I so deeply care for and am honored to represent. Tonight was meant as a celebration of the entrepreneurial spirit of Janesville and everyone tried the best they could to be the Ambassadors of Optimism, to quote Mary Willmer Sheedy, but because of the extra significance that was brought on by the Governor and the protesters, you could cut the tension with a knife.

I am very fortunate to be in a position of working with people who are supportive of my values and appreciate my skills and talents to let me have the freedom to express myself. Also, being an elected official, I have a different responsibility to the community I represent than most people. I understand this responsibility and I take it very seriously.

2. It was the right thing to do.

After the events of last month, staying and listening to the Governor speak, applaud his self-serving platitudes would have been worse than fake. I knew I couldn't do that. Walking out seemed like a difficult thing to do before I did it, but it felt good and it felt like the right thing to do. After all, have you never walked out of a presentation by someone you did not want to listen to?

3. To show the protesters that protesting matters.

Many many people gathered outside and stood with signs, cheering, for hours. And not just hours, this is merely the latest of the protests which have been happening since the middle of February and I often wonder what difference all of this makes. I felt that by walking out and joining the protesters, I could myself help these great people who care about Janesville just as much as the people at the dinner, to feel at least a little bit validated for all of their efforts. I did not have illusions that crowds will follow me and I did not want to make a big deal, throwing a chair and storming out while the Governor was speaking. I have a lot of respect for our local business community, and I'm not sure what making a scene would've accomplished. But I suspected that very very few people, if any, would walk out, and that gave me an extra certainty that joining the protesters in solidarity and showing that protests matter, was the right thing to do.

4. To continue to represent all of Janesville

In Janesville, there are no wards and every council member represents all of Janesville. At this significant for our community moment, joining the protesters outside, to me, was about representing all of Janesville. Let's recap: I came in to the dinner, I spoke and shook hands with a lot of great people, had a wonderful meal and expressed my strong support for the business community. And when the Governor was coming on stage, I joined the rest of my community outside where, at some point during this protest, there were more people than there were on the inside.

5. To stand up for what I believe in

This is America. We have unbelievable opportunities and no politician has been able to take those away from us. Cherish it. Walk out, join associations - be it Chamber of Commerce or a Union - and do what you need to do to sleep well at night. I understand that many of the people at the dinner sincerely feel that Governor Walker is taking our state in the right direction. I don't but that's why we have elections, recalls, more elections and we vote, vote and vote again. Nothing is permanent, politicians come and go, and if you don't believe it, read a history book. I know that our future is bright because of the people who were at the dinner tonight and because of the people who were outside with protest signs. And I am proud to represent both.

Notes from meeting with Lt. Governor Kleefisch

2011-03-18T23:34:00.001-05:00

This morning, together with a group of business and community leaders, I took part in a meeting with Lt. Governor Kleefisch. Here are some of my thoughts and observations:

To start, this was an extremely interesting meeting because I got to listen to some of the most serious and brightest business people in our community explain what they feel the State of Wisconsin can do to help them. Anyone interested in community and economic development should know that this is valuable information and I ended up taking 3 long pages of notes. On the other hand, I have not been in a room, at least in the last month, where several people thanked Lt. Governor and the Governor on the job well done and told them to keep it going. Felt somewhat like being in an alternate universe.

Lt. Governor Kleefisch stated from the beginning that she was there to listen and people really made the most of that. As we went around the room, each business person (there were owners as well as managers) spoke of what was concerning them the most about doing business in Wisconsin. Issues mentioned most consistently were: Education, Cost of Healthcare, Taxes, Excessive Regulation and Unemployment Compensation.

Education was brought up frequently because finding qualified workers to replace the aging workforce was presented by several speakers as a major challenge for Rock county employers. One persons even went so far as to say that unless there are more qualified people in construction and trades, in 5 years demand will outstrip the supply.

As the discussion progressed, I observed an interesting conundrum: while employers would like to see more people get technical education, employees themselves are interested in promotions and management positions, for which they may not be prepared if they only have technical education. Additionally, the companies appear to be disinclined in investing in training of their workforce because when the times are tight, training is the first thing to get cut, and when times are good, why waste time and money on training? Additionally, "soft skills" such as being on time and being generally responsible person were a sore spot for many. In the end, I got the impression that Lt. Governor was interested in seeing more people go for technical education instead of undergraduate or graduate degrees which pretty well matched with preferences of many in the room this morning. Attracting educated employees was said to be a challenge that companies are currently able to meet for the most part.

Cost of Healthcare was brought up both by employers and healthcare providers and while some specific solutions were mentioned, I did not get impression that this was high on the Lt. Governor's list of priorities.

Taxes were a favorite subject of most and sharing of various horror stories was limited only by time. From the lack of loopholes to inconsistencies between the Federal and State tax codes, to portability of tax credits, taxes are a subject that affected everyone in the room.

Excessive regulation by DNR in particular, was a hot subject of conversation, with more than one speaker mentioning Department of Natural Resources as standing in the way of business development. And when one person suggested that a company whose expansion was essentially nixed by the DNR may still be interested in expanding, I believe I actually saw Lt. Governor's eyes lit up.

The real anger and frustration about the length of time and the perceived comfort provided to people via unemployment benefits was not something I anticipated to emerge as the hot topic at this discussion. We've all heard references to "welfare queens" but to hear people who work in credit unions and insurance agencies, criticize those who use their services and essentially pay their salaries, for not working harder to find a job, was not something I expected. To that extent, I found assurances by Lt. Governor to do something about the unemployment benefits, to be more menacing than anything. For the record, I have never received unemployment benefits.

When it was my turn to speak, I said that I was there mostly to listen. I echoed comments made by others that being able to transfer tax credits is very important to Janesville in remaining competitive. I said that cutting taxes for businesses is very important, as is adjusting regulations and making sure that the burden of taxes is equitable, however, Lt. Governor would be wise to pay attention to those people standing outside with protest signs. Those people are workers, union and non-union, teachers and substitutes, and they are saying the same thing as the people at the table - they want jobs and they want education.

I also told Lt. Governor that people in the room are business owners already but with the high unemployment in Janesville, we have many people who are looking at starting their own businesses and those people need help as well. This point was suggested to me by my friend John and sitting at the table, surrounded by business owners, I realized that it was particularly relevant and missing from the discussion.

After two hours of discussion, exactly as announced earlier, the meeting wrapped up and after mingling for a few minutes, all of us went on our way with Lt. Governor going to tour the Monterey Mills, I understand. Driving away, it occurred to me that position of Lt. Governor in Wisconsin is notorious for its lack of importance. After all Lt. Governor's duties have been reduced to stepping in for the Governor should he or she be unable to fulfill their duties. Yet in this polarized climate, having the opportunity to communicate directly with someone in that position, may be more valuable than ever before.

Finally, Statement of the Day made by one participant at today's discussion:

When it comes to productivity, 1 American = 4 Indians.

Wisconsin Protests site transferred

2011-02-23T11:26:00.013-06:00

For the

10 Things You Want to Know About JAC (or You Don't Know JAC)

2011-02-05T13:56:00.004-06:00

1. The purpose behind these awards is to recognize and inspire creativity in the Janesville area. Therefore we are acknowledging not just outstanding band, performer and theater production but many other people who express creativity in what they do. Using this logic, on Friday, February 11 at 7:30 pm at the Janesville Performing Arts Center, for $5 entrance fee, you will also see awards presented for creativity in body arts, culinary arts, hair design, advertisement and many other categories, guaranteed to leave you feeling that Janesville is full of creativity and creative people.

2. There will be an actual award. Created with help from the designing team at Hedberg Public Library, a custom-made trophy will be presented to each award recipient.

3. Nomination process was open to anyone and the deadline was January 28 so if you feel like there's someone who deserves recognition but was not recognized this year, that's what the next year is for. Incidentally, at the award show, cards will be provided for the audience to nominate worthy individuals for next year JAC awards, and to provide feedback about the show to the organizers. We love feedback!

4. The show will feature an incredible contest by the 5 nominees for the Culinary Arts award: the two individual chefs - Tracy Runice and Grace (Pickering) Langer- as well as 3 well-known Janesville establishments: Best Events, Italian House and Speakeasy. All will provide at least 50 complimentary samples each for the audience to taste prior to voting for their favorite. This alone will make the show an unforgettable experience.

5. Besides the awards, the show will feature performances by 8 of the best Janesville female singers:

Kellie Pearson
Alexia Klein
Teresa Nguyen
Laura Schuler
Theresa Carroll
April Scott
Gaia Galvan
Bethany Conway

Each will perform two songs and will give you the sampling of the great voices and creativity that exists right here in our community.

6. The show will feature an award for the One-Minute Film. Featuring production by the likes of Jim Lyke & Robert Jarzen ZenLyke productions, Joe Jimenez and Aaron Williams. We will watch the movies during the first half of the show and vote on the most outstanding one during the intermission because One-Minute Film is a People's Choice award. What does People's Choice award mean? See #7

7. Some of the categories in the show are judged by judges prior to the event. These include awards for outstanding media personality, fine artist, achievement by Janesville native and others. However, 10 of the awards will be awarded based on voting by the public. Voting will take place before the show and during the intermission with one exception: nominees for the Outstanding Live Music Venue award have set up voting containers at their locations allowing the voting public to cast your votes before the show. These containers will be delivered to JPAC on February 11 where voting will continue until it is concluded at the end of the intermission. Who are the nominees for the Outstanding Live Music Venue award?

Mocha Moment
Time Out
Tremors
Main Street Saloon
O'Riley & Conway's
Sneakers
Java Joys

8. In order to vote for a People's Choice award nominee, voters will need to place cash or check in the container bearing the nominees name with the rule that $1 = 1 vote. So you can put $1, $5 or 50 cents. In the end, $1 = 1 vote.

9. The money that will be raised through JAC awards, the entry fee of $5 plus proceeds from the voting will go to the United Arts Alliance Scholarship Fund. Every year UAA gives scholarships to those going to study arts and with your help, we will continue to help more students achieve their dream.

10. Get to know your nominees by going to the special page set up by Local Vision TV - one of JAC award sponsors - at www.LocalVisionTV.com/JAC. There you can watch the one-minute films, music videos by different groups nominated and much more. If you are a nominee or a friend (or a close relative) of a nominee, upload or link a video of their work to this page. It's very easy.

Thanks and we look forward to seeing all of you at the Janesville Performing Arts Center on February 11 for a 7:30 pm start (though you can come earlier and vote). The cost is $5 but bring some cash with you so you can vote and support your favorite body artist, theater production, live band, solo performer and much more!

For more information go to: www.JACawards.blogspot.com & www.RockCountyArts.com

THANKS TO ALL OUR SPONSORS!!

Check out the video announcing the nominees:

On debt elimination and its cost

2010-12-28T12:59:00.004-06:00

Reducing and eliminating Janesville city debt is a worthy goal and it will be discussed by the city council at the study session on February 2, 2011. The savings generated on interest and payments will help our community move forward without the burden of borrowed obligations as well as help the city preserve its excellent credit rating. Additionally, this is a good discussion for us as a community to have because we should all understand what our government is doing and why. Incurring debt is not a long-term solution and it has to be continuously re-evaluated.

However, what has been absent from the conversation is the cost associated with this dramatic change to our current policy. It is also important to recognize the reasons behind the decision to begin borrowing for road repair as the city has done in the last few years. This decision was not made lightly and was done with consideration of possible alternatives. Erasing city's obligations will result in a substantial raise to our property taxes and halt not only all capital projects but also ongoing road repairs. While it is appropriate to discuss whether this is the best time for capital projects, ending road maintenance for a year or two until the city completely pays off its obligations not only creates dangerous situation now, but it has potential of dramatically increasing the costs associated with road repair once we decide that we are ready to resume fixing and maintaining our streets.

I am strongly opposed to raising property taxes for the already stressed property owners. Our city’s economy is in no shape to ask property owners some of whom are struggling to sell their homes, to absorb a large increase in property taxes, which is only likely to make the local economic situation worse. Looking at the bigger picture, the Great Recession and Wisconsin’s reliance on property taxes for revenue is creating a major burden for property owners who are asked to pay more every year for services that seem to be continuously cut back. It is high time for us to look at how other states are doing business and consider if our tax structure is doing us more harm than it is worth. Government at every level is charged with responsibility of providing residents with important services which depend on residential growth for revenue generation. Even without the discussion of downside of this policy to our sustainability efforts and the inherent conflict it creates between developers, government and community, it is obvious that at the current pace our property taxes will soon become an unbearable burden for many, ultimately

making home-ownership less attractive and resulting in less new revenue for our communities.

Most of us take on debt because we want or need to get something we cannot afford with the income we have. If the goal for the city is to reduce its debt, the city has only two solutions available: to raise its income by charging the residents more through taxes and fees, and by cutting services. Let us remember that when we say “services” we mean “people” because it is the salaries of the city employees that make up most of the city’s budget. Putting more people out of work in Janesville is not going to improve our economy.

In the end, whether debt is an abhorrent evil or not is a philosophical as much as a practical difference of opinion. While we would do best to find a way that allows us to decrease our borrowing without impacting property taxes, reality dictates that at this time, philosophy of aggressive debt elimination is an approach we simply cannot afford.

2010 in review: my year through media's eyes.

2010-12-28T12:56:00.001-06:00

The year is almost over and when I think about it, 2010 was such a busy year for me that it feels like a really long time. Much was accomplished and so much is yet to be done.

Life is about moving forward though sometimes it's good to reflect on what was accomplished. Luckily Janesville Gazette is there to document it all. So here are, in chronological order, the top news stories highlighting my 2010 in Janesville.

First, however, I want to take a moment and thank everyone who helped and got me involved in getting these projects done. Our community is full of creative people who are at the same time, civic minded. This, as much as anything, positions Janesville to be successful in the future.

***

Janesville Area Creativity (JAC) awards JAC awards are going to be the centerpiece of ArtsFest 2011 and I look forward to a great concert celebrating creativity of all kinds in our community. United Arts Alliance, an arts organization which I am proud to lead, has been putting together ArtsFests for years and this time we decided to try something entirely different. Instead of inviting a marquee (read: expensive) group to perform as the headliner, we decided to create our own main event, which would recognize creativity in our community, and instead of spending money, make money for our scholarship fund. The first annual JAC awards will take place on February 11 as part of ArtsFest 2011 at Janesville Performing Arts Center. The nominees , by the way will be revealed during the ceremony at Hedberg Public Library on February 1st.

Janesville Rally to Restore Sanity - Besides being an important statement about the value of reason, even during political season, the Janesville Rally to Restore Sanity was just plain fun. On one hand, all we seemingly did was reserve a room, make sure TV was connected to the internet and invited local politicians and notables to come and speak. On the other hand, it was a festival of freedom and communication. Being before the election, the rally hopefully motivated more people to come out and exercise the right to vote but for the right reasons. Together with Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, Janesville speakers made politics and the civic/civil conversation relevant and fun. Which is the best of both worlds.

Thanks to Local Vision TV who streamed the speeches live online and then made them available for viewing later. When, in the next few days people had questions about the nature of the event, all they had to do was to go to www.localvisiontv.org and check out the speeches for themselves.

2011 City Budget - 2011 Janesville budget was a difficult one and many difficult choices had to be made. Still, the decision that bothered me the most was the fact that the council decided to cut back time when the wading pools in Palmer and Riverside parks are open by two hours each day at a cost saving of $6,000. The pools, combined with new mandatory fees at the Senior Center and proposed cutback on the bus service were the three cuts that stood out the most because they illustrated how misplaced our priorities sometimes are. I was relieved that at least the bus service was eventually restored and I appreciate the other council members who joined me in supporting continuing our bus service at existing level. Read more of my thoughts on 2011 city budget right here

Janesville Mile Chalk Walk - Chalk Walk was a joined effort with Janesville Convention and Visitors Bureau and again, a lot of fun. Basically, we recognized that the Janesville Mile needed its own signature event and after a couple of brain storm sessions which included local business owners and residents, it was decided that having a children arts contest that would use the sidewalks along the Mile as the canvas, would make the most sense. It did. We had great participation from children, business owners as well as others who volunteered their time and put forth great effort to pull this off.

Increased funding for blight elimination - I consider this to be a big achievement though it almost did not happen. Blight elimination is a really important area for Janesville to be engaged in because as the local real estate prices continue to stay low, a great opportunity presents itself to purchase and tear down some of the most blighted structures in the city's most challenged neighborhoods. That night the council was making a decision on what projects to borrow for, as part of our 2010 note issue. At first, I made the motion for $500,000 to be borrowed towards blight elimination. In the last year, the city benefited from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) which brought in over a million dollars for blight elimination. But now that money has essentially ran out though the benefits of the program were apparent to everyone. Still, my motion failed 4-3. At that point, I went ahead and made a motion for $200,000 to be added to 2010 note issue for blight elimination, and it... passed 4-3! I thank council member Brunner for changing his vote and making the decision to support this, what I would consider to be a wise investment in Janesville's future. It was a very rewarding moment for me as member of the council because I felt that something was important and worth fighting for, and with help from other council members, we found a way to make a positive difference.

One project that did not get its own coverage was the summer concert project we put together, called United Arts Alliance presents: Summer Acoustic Series. Still, it got a thumbs up from the Gazette editorial page which was a first. We invited local musicians to come and perform acoustic sets at three Sunday concerts in August. JATV recorded the concerts, broadcast them and then put the videos on YouTube.

Sidewalks - As long as anyone can remember, the one issue most closely associated with struggles between the residents and the council in Janesville, has been the issue of Sidewalks. Some residents have them, some don't and hardly anyone wants to put new sidewalk in front of their property . That night the council stuck to its guns (figuratively speaking) and chose to proceed with the plan of continuing to install sidewalks throughout Janesville. The plan stalled in the past, due in large part to the overall economic situation.

That meeting also became memorable because I used the word "balls" though it was done to describe a point made by another council member. Having never been the one to mince words, I felt the word "balls" was a clearer and more succinct description of what was called "chutzpah" by the speaker. Nonetheless, it made front page the next day. Thanks, Marcia!

A note about media coverage: Never before have I been involved in a situation where I participate in a meeting one day and then read about what really happened there in the next day's paper. Not only does the reporter decides what to write about, but I do not get to choose which of my words are quoted in the story. In the beginning it used to regularly shock me why certain items on the council agenda would get coverage and some would not. Now I use social media to bring attention to things which need media coverage.

Putting an end to the East Milwaukee Street tunnel. This issue was in front of the council for at least 2 years and I was barely elected when the cost of having the tunnel built, which seemed so reasonable at first, increased dramatically. The price nearly doubled and I could no longer support the tunnel. Though I voted against it, as we know, council members who supported the tunnel prevailed and the project got the votes it needed. Then, for nearly two years, for a multitude of reasons, nothing happened and the tunnel sat in limbo. Finally, the project was brought before the council again and this time it was soundly rejected.

As much as I would've enjoyed seeing that tunnel built had the original estimate was accurate, I was relieved that after two years, the council put an end to this overpriced idea.

Re-elected There's little to say there except "thank you". After the election of 2008, which included a field of more than a dozen candidates and a primary, re-election seemed far less eventful though I am no less grateful to the Janesville voters for giving me this opportunity to make our community a better place. In fact, I appreciate it every day.

Janesville Mile This comprehensive marketing vision for our main downtown business corridor was originally proposed in the Janesville Messenger column in August of 2009, however it was not until February 2010 when the original map and the official unveiling of the district/project, took place. I am grateful to the Janesville Convention and Visitors Bureau for recognizing the value of this idea and helping me move this vision forward. The potential of the Janesville Mile is far from over and I look forward to seeing what will evolve and take place on the Mile in the future starting with Chalk Walk 2011. After all, my goal was to create a marketing/communication framework within which the businesses on the Janesville Mile could work together and prosper; and I'm thrilled to see it take place.

Music for Haiti

It was a pleasure to work with so many talented people who came together to organize a benefit concert to help victims of the incredible earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010. This concert truly showed that as a community, we come together to help those who need it, locally and globally. In an example of what arts and artists can do, we were able to raise nearly $4,000 but the need remains great. Here's a great summary of the concert by Jim Lyke. It's also worth noting that 3 local non-profits - United Arts Alliance, Spotlight on Kids and Theater Unlimited - came together to cover the cost of renting the Janesville Performing Arts Center, allowing the organizers to stick with our goal of turning ALL of the proceeds to Red Cross.

Thanks again and have a Happy 2011!

And the winner is...

2010-12-28T12:42:00.002-06:00

From Janesville Gazette, 12/28/2010 by Catherine Idzerda

The envelope please...

In less than two months, presenters from the United Arts Alliance will be announcing the winners of the Janesville Area Creativity awards at ArtsFest 2011, Feb. 11 and 12.

Here's an introduction to the creativity awards, which are new, and to the annual ArtsFest, which has been celebrated for 15 years.

Q: What exactly are the awards?
A: The Janesville Area Creativity awards were designed to celebrate creativity in a variety of artistic fields, said Yuri Rashkin, musician, Janesville City Council member and United Arts Alliance president. "There is a lot of creativity in Janesville that might not be recognized in the strictest sense of what the arts are," Rashkin said. There's also plenty of unrecognized creativity within "the arts" in the strictest sense: theater, painting, sculpture and pottery.

Q: What are the categories?
A: Advertising, arts educator, body artist, busker (street performer), CD/song, culinary, dance group, emerging star, fine artist, hair designer, live band, media personality, music performing venue, one-minute film, solo performer, theater costume, theater makeup/hair and theater production.

Q: Who can be nominated?
A: Janesville and Milton-area residents, Rashkin said.

Q: How did the awards get started?
A: "It's an idea that's been tossed around for a while," Rashkin said. "There are awards shows in other cities: Madison has the Madison Area Music Awards, the MAMAs."
Rashkin and others also wanted something to be the "the capstone, the centerpiece of the arts festival."

Q: What else is going on during ArtsFest 2011?
A: The festival will be held at the Janesville Performing Arts Center and Hedberg Public Library and will include live performances, artists exhibiting and demonstrating, and opportunities for hands-on arts activities.

The winners of the creativity awards will be announced at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Admission to the performances and the awards ceremony is $5, and there is a $1 suggested donation for ArtsFest itself. All proceeds go to the United Arts Alliance scholarship fund.

For more information about the Janesville Area Creativity awards and ArtsFest 2011, go online to rockcountyarts.com, send an email to rockcountyarts@gmail.com or call (608) 752-9248.
Nomination forms can be downloaded from rockcountyarts.com.
Nominations are due Friday, Jan. 28.

Introducing: Janesville Area Creativity (JAC) awards

2010-12-20T19:56:00.005-06:00

From body art and creativity in the culinary arts to showcasing short films or celebrating fine paintings and musicians, the United Arts Alliance (UAA) is committed to supporting the arts and creativity in Rock County.

The United Arts Alliance is calling for nomination of artists of all types for the first Janesville Area Creativity (JAC) Awards to be announced during ArtsFest 2011 on Friday, February 11, and Saturday, February 12, 2011 at the Janesville Performing Arts Center and the Hedberg Public Library. The Janesville Area Creativity Awards performances and presentation will start at 7:30 on Friday. Admission to the performances and awards program is $5 while there is a $1 suggested donation for ArtsFest itself. All proceeds will go to the annual UAA scholarship fund.

ArtsFest 2011 will celebrate the 15th year of the United Arts Alliance's with artists exhibiting and demonstrating, live performances, and opportunities with hands-on arts activities.

Exhibiting artists will include:
Dan Wuthrich (acrylic)
Claudiadair Fitzgerald (watercolor)
Dick & Bridget Zemlo (wood turning)
Carmen Goralski (pottery)
Andreah Briarmoon (calligraphy)
Linda Davis (watercolor)
Marsha Woods
Barbara Mathews (watercolor)
Rita Carpenter & Gail Hatton (kids’ activities)

Among the performers will be:
Chris Kohn
Spotlight on Kids
Janesville Little Theater
Yuri Rashkin
Teresa Nguyen

Alkali Tattoo, Kealy's Kafe, Main Street Saloon, Perfectly Plus Consignments, Raven's Wish Gallery, Voigt Music Center, Weirdo's Bar & Grill are a few of the sponsors who will help UAA recognize outstanding achievement and creativity in the following categories:

Achievement by a Janesville Native
Advertising
Arts Educator
Body Artist
Busker (street performer)
CD/Song
Culinary Art
Dance Group
Emerging Star
Fine Artist
Hair Designer
Live Band
Media Personality
Music Performing Venue
One Minute Film
Solo Performer
Theater Costume
Theater Makeup/Hair
Theater production

The deadline for JAC Award application submission is January 28. Nominations will be announced at the Hedberg Public Library on February 1 with awards announced and presented at JPAC on Friday, February 11.

Since 1996, individuals, artists, and area nonprofit arts organizations in Rock Co. have come together in the United Arts Alliance fostering awareness, education, and appreciation of the arts while facilitating cooperation and collaboration among artists, arts organizations and encouraging participation of Rock County residents.

For more information or to download a nomination application, please visit the UAA website at: www.rockcountyarts.com, e-mail rockcountyarts@gmail.com, or call 608.752.9248.

Also, check out the official JAC awards website at www.jacawards.blogspot.com

Snow update from Carl Weber, Janesville Director of Public Works

2010-12-12T11:52:00.004-06:00

This is an update of our efforts to manage the snow storm impact on Janesville's streets. This has been a particularly difficult winter storm to deal with because of a number of factors including:

1.Significant snowfall volume continued with little slowdown over night and all morning
2.Very high velocity winds which have been sustained for several hours
3.Dramatically dropping temperatures

Our salt crews were dispatched at 5pm Saturday afternoon working continously since that time. They were joined by the full plow crew at 3am this morning. Efforts have been primarily maintained on the arterial streets with occasional and very limited movement into the residential streets. We have not been able to leave the arterials for very long as the continously falling and drifting snow has been quickly recovering the arterials. We've been making every effort to avoid the development of hardpacked snow on the arterials.

Shortly before noon we are finally beginning to see the snowfall rates diminish, although we expect traces to continue to fall until this evening. The wind speeds, though slighly reduced, are still strong. At this time we are planning to make one more pass on the arterials and then move, early this afternoon, into the residential streets. We are concerned that our progress on the residential streets will be slowed by the fact that the intial snowfall last evening was a heavy wet snow which fell on rain soaked streets. That snow has likley hardened due to the falling temperatures and been covered by several inches of dry and drifting snow. That base may not peel off well, so we will likely be left with hard pack even after the lighter snow has been pushed back. When we complete the residentials we will need to make another pass of the arterial streets due to continued drifting. We will not likely be completed until late tonight.

Due to the extremely cold temperatures projected for the next few days, we expect the condition of our residential streets to remain in difficult winter driving condition for the forseeable future. Janesville residents will need to take extra time and care when traveling about this week. Any warmup, although desireable, can be expected to loosent the hardpacked snow which may then be rutted by traffic.

I believe John Whitcomb, our Operations Supeervisors and our drivers have been making a commendable effort. I hope that our residents will be patient and understanding as we make our best efforts to return the streets to reasonable winter driving conditions.

Carl Weber

Thank you Carl for all your and your department efforts in dealing with this storm. Thank you also for providing an excellent update!

On 2011 Janesville City Budget

2010-11-19T11:04:00.000-06:00

The discussions around the 2011 city budget have been as difficult as I’ve seen. Yet the logic behind some of the cuts has been particularly hard to explain or support such as the decision to have the swimming pools open 2 hours less per day in 2011 than in the past. This will produce savings of about $15,000. Yet keeping only the Palmer and Riverside park wading pools open will come at a cost of roughly $6,000. Considering that every $31,000 spent by the city equals to approximately $1 on the tax bill, the cost of leaving the pools open same as before is less than 20 cents per household. This amount surely will seem small in comparison with the disappointment and frustration felt by children and families when in the middle of the summer, our pools will open later and shut down at 6 pm. After all, what is the point of having these facilities and spending money to repair them, if we are not going to keep the pools open and fully accessible to the residents? I realize that at the last council meeting, I was the lone vote in support of spending the money needed to keep the wading pools open but I feel very strongly about this and respectfully disagree with my fellow council members.

The other change in the budget that really concerns me is the raising of fees for the users of the Senior Center. The senior residents of Janesville have paid property taxes that created and paid for the community we have today. To ask these people to pay even more for classes and activities offered through the center seems unfair to say the least. To the seniors’ credit, they voluntarily agreed to pay a fixed fee to take advantage of the many benefits offered by the center yet their requests to end small incidental fees, which would still increase the revenue for the city, were rejected by the council.

As Janesville goes through the post-GM transformation, we continue to maintain our reputation as a safe and well-maintained community with an excellent education system. Combined with good selection of shopping and tremendously affordable quality housing stock, Janesville is beginning to develop reputation as an attractive destination to people who may work in Madison and Rockford, as well as other smaller surrounding communities. Additionally, many people retired from General Motors, city, county and the school district, along with others, due to the housing crisis, are not in a position to sell their homes and move.

These facts need to be taken into consideration as we determine what our priorities are as a community. What do we do as a city to address the needs of retirees and families who chose Janesville to raise their children here? Providing services needed in our community is not free but by helping and addressing our residents’ needs, the council helps to create an atmosphere where people and companies will continue to consider Janesville as the place to be.

As members of the council we need to hear from the residents to help us determine what is important to you. I hope that if these and other services, such as public transportation, affected by the 2011 city budget are important to you, you will come and speak on Monday night. And if you are not able to be there in person, please call or email the council.

Media-related updates

2010-10-21T16:34:00.010-05:00

Here's Gazette story on Janesville satellite Restore the Sanity Rally, which I am helping organize.

Here's

my interview with Dan Conry on WCLO about the rally

Here's Channel 3 from Madison coverage of the rally

Here's story in today's Gazette on putting Janesville City Council proceedings on the internet. There are certain things that have been accomplished over my 2 1/2 years on the council that make me feel particularly proud. Beginning to stream council sessions on-line and televising study sessions are some of them.

Janesville Mile Chalk Walk Announces Winners

2010-10-19T14:31:00.001-05:00

The Janesville Mile Chalk Walk committee announced the winners of its youth sidewalk chalk art competition as part of an awards ceremony held Saturday, October 16 in Firehouse Park. Awards and prizes were presented to the top three winners in each of the four categories. The following is a list of categories and winners:

Ages 4 – 6

· 1st place – Emily Cortez

· 2nd place – Allison Johnson

· 3rd place – Kaitlyn Krug

Ages 7 – 12

· 1st place – Elijah Faber

· 2nd place – Charlie Knepler

· 3rd place – Grace Caroll-Bollweg

Ages 13-18

· 1st place – Cecilia Kedrowski-Perez

· 2nd place – Tai Pratt

· 3rd place – Ellen Golackson

Mixed Age Groups (4-18) of Up to 20

· 1st place – Hedy Knepler, Family Group

· 2nd place – Jackson, Anna and Muriel Bartling, Family Group

· 3rd place – Brittany and Nicole, Rock County Youth 2 Youth Group

Winners were awarded a variety of prizes including art lessons and gift certificates to area restaurants and stores. All prizes were donated by local organizations including: Janesville Leisure Services, Hedberg Public Library, Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, Janesville Jets Ice Hockey, Home Again Consignments, L'Atelier Art Studio and Perfectly Precious Children’s Consignments. Much of the chalk used for the competition was also donated. Chalk donations came from Christine Moore of Janesville Design and Development Center and Janesville Farmers Market.

The competition, which was held October 15 & 16, had nearly sixty participants. Christine Rebout, Executive Director of the Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau and member of the Chalk Walk committee, said that both she and the entire Chalk Walk committee were pleased with the turnout for the event. “For this first year we had hoped for thirty participants and were very excited to have nearly double that,” said Rebout. ”It was inspiring to see all the smiling faces of the young artists whose creative spirit splashed colors along Main Street.” The chalk art murals adorn the sidewalks between JPAC and the Olde Town Mall. Anyone wishing to see more photos from the event may visit www.janesvillecvb.com or on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVpt50gAv8E .

Janesville satellite Rally to Restore Sanity/Fear

2010-10-18T14:24:00.004-05:00

Sane Rock County Unite!

Are you the people who’ve been too busy to go to rallies, who actually have lives and families and jobs (or are looking for jobs) or simply can't make it to DC for Jon Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity? Join us right here in Janesville on Saturday, October 30th at Basics, 1711 Lodge Drive, Janesville, for our satellite rally from 11am-2pm!

We'll sync up with the DC rally as much as possible. If you disagree with us, we're pretty sure that you're not Hitler. We can't sum up the political views of our participants in a single sentence but that’s the point. Five-minute speakers will be welcome from all political persuasions and we even have some special Democratic and Republican guests lined up.

Yes, you can bring signs that demonstrate your sanity and reasonableness. And remember to be super-courteous with your signs and do not obstruct your neighbor’s view or enjoyment of the rally. Be kind, all the time.

Think of our event as Woodstock without the nudity and drugs replaced with respectful disagreement or as the Million Man March, only a lot smaller. Bring your indoor voice so that our moderate voice is heard all the way to DC. Or don’t. We’ll make it worth your while.

For timely updates on our rally, you can follow us on Facebook or sign up to get e-mails at
rallytorestore.janesville@gmail.com. More information? http://www.rallytorestoresanity.com; or call 608.752.9248

Chalk Walk 2010 wrap up notes

2010-10-16T19:17:00.007-05:00

Thank you to everyone involved in the Janesville Mile Chalk Walk 2010. This was a fun event that brought together youths, artists, and our downtown. My goal was to get to at least 40 entries and we exceeded that number slightly though close to 60 kids participated because some murals were a group effort.

Huge thank you to Christine Rebout, Sue Melton and everyone at Janesville Convention & Visitors Bureau without whom this event would never have happened. It warmed my heart to see, as I looked down the street, children drawing and families walking on the sidewalk.

Thank you to the volunteers who gave time and effort, donors who helped with prizes, and judges who gave time and expertise. Chalk Walk was truly a culmination of a good idea bringing together good people to do a good thing.

It's worth mentioning that this event was executed on essentially a zero budget. Chalk and prizes were contributed by local businesses and event itself was free to participate. CVB designed the poster and everything else was done using social and traditional "earned" media. We even turned down the idea of printing thousands of flyers for distribution throughout the school district due to cost.

Read what Janesville Gazette had to say about Janesville Mile Chalk Walk. My favorite quote came from Shari Faber whose son Elijah was one of the artists: "This was a great idea," she said. "It's free, it's fun, and it's a great opportunity for people to share their art."

These leaders will move us forward

2010-10-14T22:47:00.005-05:00

To achieve change that improves our lives, we need to work together. And we need political leaders who work together fearlessly. This year we have an opportunity to vote for four such leaders.

Senator Russ Feingold is the conscience of our country and the only senator who voted against the Patriot Act. Janesville native, he has consistently spoken up for what is right and worked with both parties in order to ensure that we live in a country that we can be proud of. Truly, a national figure, re-electing Russ Feingold will send a loud message that Wisconsin stands for what's right.

Tim Cullen is a man of incredible knowledge in the ways of Madison and will work hard in the Senate to bring both parties together to address important problems facing his district and our state. I respect both candidates but Tim Cullen's long history of accomplishment makes me confident that he is the better choice for this seat.

Bob Spoden has been not only an effective sheriff keeping our county safe but is a man of no shortage of common sense, who's saved taxpayers tens of millions of dollars by removing the need to build new jail. His non-partisan approach is clearly evident in that his campaign signs can be found in both "Democratic" and "Republican" yards.

Speaker Mike Sheridan has always looked for ways to help Janesville and Wisconsin. He's done that by looking for opportunities for both parties to work together. Moving up construction of extra lanes for I90/39 is a huge step forward and it took a lot of work on Mike's part. After all, the transportation committee which needed to move this project forward hasn't met in years until now.

These men enjoy bi-partisan support and remind us everyday that when it comes to getting results, party affiliation comes second to getting the job done.

Chalk Walk Announces Celebrity Judges

2010-10-11T13:52:00.000-05:00

The Janesville Mile Chalk Walk is excited to announce the event’s panel of celebrity judges. The judges are Bryan McCormick, Director of Hedberg Public Library, Christine Moore of theJanesville Design and Development Center, Jackie Wood, downtown business owner, Janesville City Council Vice President Frank Perrotto and Beth Wheelock, afternoon reporter and anchor for WCLO.

The Chalk Walk, a sidewalk chalk art competition for youth, will be held October 15, & 16, in downtown Janesville. The competition is open to individual youth and groups of up to 20 youth, ages 4 to 18. As part of the competition, the youth will create the sidewalk art, take a photo of it, and then email the art to crebout@jvlnet.com. Once the competition has ended, the celebrity panel of judges will pick the top two murals in each category. Categories by age: 4-6, 7-12, 13-18 and a mixed age group (ages 4-18) of up to 20 youth. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in Fireman’s Park in downtown Janesville on Saturday, October 16 at 12 noon.

Youth who would like to participate in this free event are invited to register for the competition. Onsite registration will be available in front of Olde Towne Mall, at 20 South Main Street during the event, but pre-registration is encouraged. To pre-register for the competition, go to http://www.janesvillecvb.com/events/janesville-mile-chalk-walk, download the registration form and follow the instructions.

This event was created to promote the Janesville Mile, foster community spirit and to further interest in local arts and family events.

For more information visit: www.janesvillecvb.com/events/janesville-mile-chalk-walk or call 608-757-3171.

WCLO

2010-10-04T13:31:00.005-05:00

As some of you may know, I applied to WCLO to host their morning show, which I believe is an extremely important part of our community communication efforts. (I am a grad student in Mass Communications at UW-Whitewater and take radio, media and communications very seriously.) As we know by now, station management chose someone else, namely Dan Conry.

I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the station for considering my candidacy and to wish Mr. Conry much success in his efforts to provide WCLO listening audience with a positive, engaging and informative experience. But most of all, I want to thank each and every person who wished me well on this journey, the wonderful people who started and joined "Yuri Rashkin for WCLO" group on Facebook, and every one who cheered me on. I consider this to be a very positive experience, which helped me learn more about myself and about Janesville.

While there is no doubt that WCLO offers a powerful opportunity to communicate about issues which are important to our community, the conversation is more important than the medium. I look forward to continuing these important conversations using the avenues I am fortunate to have available.

The main thing remains, which is that we live in a great community, full of passionate people, who work hard to help those around them and I'm honored to be able to continue this journey with you.

Sincerely,

Yuri Rashkin

Janesville Mile Chalk Walk

2010-10-02T02:03:00.008-05:00

As you may have heard, Janesville Mile very first event - Chalk Walk - will take place on October 15 and 16. Here's what you may find about it in our local media:

October 1, 2010

Janesville Mile Youth Chalk Art Competition October 15 & 16

The Janesville Mile is excited to host their first event - Janesville Mile Chalk Walk, a sidewalk chalk art competition for youth, October 15 & 16, in downtown Janesville. The competition is open to individual youth and groups of up to 20 youth, ages 4 to 18. The event was created to promote the Janesville Mile, foster community spirit and to further interest in local arts and family events.

Youth who would like to participate in this fun, artistic event are invited to register for the competition. Onsite registration will be available at Olde Towne Mall during the event, but pre-registration is encouraged. To pre-register for the competition go to http://www.janesvillecvb.com/events/janesville-mile-chalk-walk. Download the registration form and follow the instructions.

When the youth arrives at the competition they will need to check in with registration where they will be given a designated sidewalk area to create their chalk mural. Once the youth has finished their artwork they then need to take a photo of their mural and email it to crebout@janesvillecvb.com. The youth will be judged in categories by age: 4-6, 7-12, 13-18 and mixed age group (ages 4-18) of up to 20 youth.

A celebrity panel of judges will then pick the top two murals in any category. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in Fireman’s Park in downtown Janesville on Saturday, October 16 at 12 noon.

Official website of Janesville Mile Chalk where you can print the flyer and registration form http://www.janesvillecvb.com/events/janesville-mile-chalk-walk

Story by Janesville Gazette's Cathy Idzerda

http://gazettextra.com/news/2010/oct/01/sidewalk-chalk-event-slated-oct-15-16/

Blog entry to WCLO's Rose Stricker featuring some great examples of sidewalk chalk art:

http://wclo.com/weblogs/rose-stricker/2010/sep/28/downtown-janesville-sidewalk-art/

United Arts Alliance presents: Summer Acoustic Series

2010-09-14T16:04:00.001-05:00

United Arts Alliance Summer Acoustic Series to be Broadcast on JATV & YouTube

The United Arts Alliance (UAA) in association with Janesville's JATV presents the United Arts Alliance Summer Acoustic Series comprised of 8 acoustic concerts recorded at Java Joys coffee shop in Janesville in August of 2010. The series features performances by local artists including Teresa & Anthony Nguyen, Yuri Rashkin, Theresa Carroll, JP Merz, Claire Olsen, Brandon Stottler, Gaia Galvan, Bethany Conway, Chris Kohn, Al Hulick, Bill Hatfield and Greg Winkler.
The UAA Summer Acoustic Series highlights the exceptional quality of local performing artists and UAA's commitment to encourage participation and bring the arts to Rock County communities. The concerts will be broadcast on regular basis on JATV starting in September 2010 and are posted on YouTube through JATV media services.
This concert series raised funds for the annual UAA Scholarship Fund, from which UAA awards 3 scholarships each year to local students who have been involved in the arts.
Since 1996, individuals, artists, and area nonprofit arts organizations in Rock Co. have come together in the United Arts Alliance to foster an improved awareness and appreciation of the arts while facilitating cooperation and collaboration among artists and arts organizations, as well as demonstrating the value of the arts. UAA meets on the 3rd Wednesday of each month and welcomes all guests. For more information about UAA, upcoming arts events in Rock County, videos of performances, and more, visit the United Arts Alliance on Facebook or at www.RockCountyArts.com

Watch Discover Janesville at GazetteExtra.com

2010-08-09T15:59:00.004-05:00

I share this significant development for Discover Janesville on my main site because the ability to post the best-of 2-3 minute long videos of interviews is very important since it allows the program to reach a much wider audience than before. Much thanks also goes to the Gazette web staff for setting up a dedicated "tab" on their video page, showcasing Discover Janesville interviews. Check it out for yourself and thanks for all your support!

Discover Janesville at GazetteExtra.com

Janesville Mile update on WCLO

2010-08-09T15:32:00.003-05:00

Thanks to WCLO for doing an update on the Janesville Mile. Here is the podcast.

Version 2.0 of the Janesville Mile map is at the printers and will be available for distribution in a matter of days though you can already download the latest version at www.JanesvilleCVB.com. Thank you to the Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau for championing this project, designed to help our downtown area businesses and attractions.

Feedback Sought to Help Grow the Janesville Mile

2010-08-09T15:29:00.000-05:00

The Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (JACVB) would like to invite downtown Janesville businesses, members of the community or anyone who feels the Janesville Mile concept is beneficial to Janesville, to attend a meeting regarding the evolution of the concept. The meeting will be held Thursday, August 12, from 2 pm until 3 pm, in Lower Courthouse Park at 51 South Main Street, Janesville.

Janesville Mile, brainchild of Yuri Rashkin, brings together downtown Janesville attractions, dining establishments and retail outlets as one central Janesville destination for both residents and visitors. The Mile begins with Rotary Botanical Gardens, goes on to Lions Beach, the Ice Arena, the Janesville Performing Arts Center, the Hedberg Library and then reaches the downtown with the Janesville Armory, Speakeasy, Metropolitan and other attractions, food and retail establishments

JACVB Executive Director, Christine Rebout and Marketing Director, Susan Melton have been working with Rashkin over the last several months to grow the concept. During that time, they have made the Janesville Mile a reality by creating a Janesville Mile map/brochure, a Janesville Mile website, Facebook page and a webpage within the JACVB website. “We are pleased to play a role in moving this project forward and we would like the community to help refine it even further.” We would appreciate any comments or suggestions as to how the concept and the map could evolve,” said Rebout.

The most recent version of the Janesville Mile map is currently in the process of being printed and will be distributed at businesses along the Janesville Mile, the JACVB Visitor Center in Palmer Park as well as their office in Old Towne Mall. The JACVB is accepting donations toward the printing costs. Donations of any amount can be sent to the JACVB offices at 20 S. Main Street, Ste. 17, Janesville, 53545. The map may also be found by visiting the Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau website at www.janesvillecvb.com/maps/janesville-mile. If anyone would like more information about the Janesville Mile meeting please call 608-757-3171.

On YWCA Care House

2010-07-28T10:54:00.003-05:00

It is a well-known fact that the YWCA and the Care House provide a valuable service to Janesville and Rock County. As a response to the difficult economy and the challenging times overall, the Y’s commitment to the well-being of children and families have been embraced and championed by many in our community. Its fundraisers, such as the Walk-A-Mile-In-Her-Shoes and the upcoming golf outing are well-known and enjoy an ever increasing support. Just recently the Gazette has reported on a JPD officer Valley who is singlehandedly spearheading an effort to help the YWCA address some of its basic needs.

Yet the potential benefits of the YWCA and the Care House are far from maximized. An important feature of the Care House program is the education it provides through its outreach efforts. And there is much to be learned there.

Going on a tour of the Care House, which is available to anyone, is valuable because it helps one understand what happens once abuse is reported. But perhaps even more importantly, a tour of the Care House educates adults and children on the signs of physical abuse against children, signs that sometimes can be missed by an untrained eye or a child.

Currently, the Janesville School District provides extensive training on recognizing signs of physical abuse to children and parents, yet there may be an important opportunity being missed: training the students to recognize signs of abuse among their peers. A child who is always hungry or constantly falls asleep, or one who starts crying with hardly a visible cause, are all vital signs in helping to identify potential victims of abuse. Once identified and reported to appropriate authorities, mechanisms are in place to ensure that a harmful situation is prevented from continuing.

But because the most important step following the recognition of a troublesome sign is contacting a figure of authority, it is important to have the children themselves become well educated on the probable signs of abuse when exhibited by other students. Additionally, it is important to encourage children to reach out to their parents and educators with concerns about the welfare of others around them. As the parents, we try hard to raise our children to be civic minded individuals. Giving children the tools needed to recognize the signs of trouble is important in empowering them to feel capable of making a positive change in the lives of others.

In these tough economic times, it is vital that we do not leave the smallest among us – our children – behind. This is done not just by making sure that children do well in academics, but also by working with our law enforcement agencies and non-profits such as the YWCA in maximizing what these organizations are set up to offer. By teaching our children to identify potential signs of child abuse when displayed by other kids, we empower our children to make a difference, we help to put an end to domestic violence and we grow stronger as a community.

On Sidewalks in Janesville

2010-07-26T09:00:00.002-05:00

At its last meeting, the Janesville City Council re-affirmed its resolve to see the 2008 comprehensive sidewalk plan become a reality. After several years of delays for economic reasons, the administration was right to ask the council if it is still determined to proceed with the sidewalk program as set out in 2008 plan. The choice as presented to the council involved either continuing with the plan or scrapping it and adopting a less ambitious approach, that is, if the council felt the sidewalks are important at all. Unanimously the seven members of the council voted to support the resolution, with the discussion centering on whether to proceed with 9 miles per year as outlined in the original plan, or whether to scale it back to a smaller number. But when asked, the city engineering said that only 2,000 feet of sidewalks were constructed by the city annually over the period of last several years. Even with some installations done by private contractors, at this pace it will be many years before pedestrians will be able to utilize sidewalks anywhere in the city.

The problem with the way the discussion is currently framed is that it does nothing to close the divide between the council and those in the community who do not currently have sidewalks. On Monday night, several council members spoke of the need for the council to have the backbone to stand up to the residents who are opposed to the plan. But continuing with it-is-either-us-or-them approach will only lead to further disagreements between the council and the residents. After all, the battle over sidewalks in Janesville has been going on for nearly 50 years, and if nothing changes, is likely to continue for the next 20.

As the old saying goes: “if you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got.” As members of the Janesville city council we do not want to fight the residents. We want to make Janesville a better place. Yet when the issue of sidewalks comes up, as it stands right now, it is the people against the government. This is an approach that has led to significant divisions in our community, and unless we want to see this battle take place every year, we need to find a new solution to this old problem.

Looking around, it is easy to notice that sidewalks are much less of a problem elsewhere because seemingly everywhere else, the local municipality picks up the tab. If we are in agreement that sidewalks are important, than it is high time for us as a community to begin the conversation about changing the funding mechanism for the remaining sidewalk installations. The options are several and not all of them are palatable to everyone. That’s all right. But the bottom line remains the same: as long as the property owners will be expected to solely pay for sidewalk installation, the battle over the sidewalks will continue.

I am confident that as residents of the city of Janesville and as the city council, we can spend our time better working to make our community more prosperous, rather than to argue about whether sidewalks improve safety. Especially when we know those discussions might not even occur if money was not the issue.

Latest appearance on Stan Milam

2010-07-23T09:30:00.003-05:00

A few days ago, I appeared on the Stan Milam show on WCLO. During my visit, I updated Stan on the status of the Janesville Mile, the exciting things going on with the city council, and invited Stan to take part in the ride-along program with the Janesville Police Department. Here's the audio of the interview.

Rent a canoe, kayak or a bike from the city!

2010-07-03T09:55:00.002-05:00

The Recreation Division has contracted with Midwest Adventure Group to provide opportunities for the Janesville community to experience outdoor recreation in our parks. Beginning Saturday, July 3^rd 2010, concession areas will be open at Lions Beach and Traxler Park. Individuals will be able to rent canoes, kayaks and bicycles. In addition the concessionaire will be providing concession foods by way of vending machines and walk up concession stands. Lions Beach will rent equipment from the front of the bath house and food concessions on the beach. The warming house at Traxler will provide space for the concession operation in that park.

Tallman House report and business plan

2010-04-29T11:44:00.003-05:00

Because the report put together by Brad Cantrell and the business plan for the Tallman House put together by the committee was 28 pages long and could not fit in the Gazette story, here is the link for anyone who wants to learn exactly what the committee is proposing. After all, in order to have effective public input, it helps to get the information out.

Skatepark deserves support in Janesville

2010-04-21T04:26:00.001-05:00

Published in the Janesville Gazette on April 21, 2010

One of the things I have noticed since joining the city government is the power of individuals when it comes to getting public projects moving.Individuals in the private sector come together, work in partnership with local government and get things done. Right now, a skatepark needs to become one such project.

A city of our size is expected to provide certain amenities in today's world. Bike paths and trails, swimming pools and well-developed parks are among these. A skatepark is also on that list. Besides providing an outlet for exercise, a skatepark would offer important opportunities for teens to socialize in a generally safe environment. Regular police presence at a skatepark, done right, would also provide an excellent opportunity for the police department to build more bridges to the community.

The reason why we need a skatepark in Janesville is plain and simple: As we continue to redefine what we are as a community, we need to remain attractive to outside interests when it comes to maintaining our high standard of life and quality of living. We do this by offering amenities like trails and parks. While some projects are too large to tackle at this time, a skatepark is not one of them.

Unfortunately, this project has been deemed hopeless by some because private fundraising efforts have been under way for several years and no end is in sight. To be fair, other communities have raised less money and built skateparks, yet other communities had a single large benefactor step up and donate a substantial sum of money. Either way, it is 2010 and there's still no skatepark in Janesville.

An important area of discussion has been the park's location. With Palmer Park being effectively ruled out, where should it be built? Though not perfect, Monterey Park offers many benefits. Having a bowl in a skatepark is
important but not vital. Being close to schoolchildren and geese certainly offers challenges, as well.

Yet what a skatepark needs most right now is not location or even money. What it needs most right now is support from the community at large and leadership from among skateboarders themselves—the future park's real users.
The skaters are there, yet council meetings seem to involve no one likely to get on a skateboard in the near future.

In the end, in order for this project to succeed and for a skatepark to become the reality it deserves to be, more people must be willing to take a stand and lead this effort, which is simply bigger than the number of individuals leading it now. I believe this undertaking is very worthy of community support, and I urge those who care about our kids to consider getting involved with what is really a great project.

Janesville Gazette endorses McDonald, Rashkin and Voskuil

2010-04-04T13:38:00.002-05:00

From the Janesville Gazette

Sunday, April 4, 2010

"We strongly urge you to vote for the three incumbents, Tom McDonald, Yuri Rashkin and Kathy Voskuil.

All three earned our endorsements two years ago, and the qualities that impressed us then hold true now. While we don't agree with every vote they make on every issue, they understand the importance of economic development and the related tools available to government. Al three are likeable, intelligent, caring, articulate an thoughtful, and they try to do what they believe is in the best long-term interests of our community.

Rashkin, has impressed us for being open-minded and willing to listen to residents. Though much more development is needed, we applaud Rashkin's vision of a "Janesville Mile" of attractions stretching from Rotary Gardens and up Main Street to downtown."

Letters of support to Janesville Gazette

2010-04-01T11:59:00.002-05:00

The following letters of support have been published by the Gazette in the past 2 days.

KUZNACIC, RASHKIN DESERVE YOUR VOTES

"I would like to ask others to vote next week for two very good people whom I have the pleasure to know.

I am very happy to call friends Katie Kuznacic for Rock County Board supervisor and Yuri Rashkin for Janesville City Council. We have been blessed with these two, who look out for the good of all in the area. They have made tough calls when needed and will in the future."

KEVIN BISHOP

Janesville

published on

I can't even say how proud I was to see this particular letter in the Gazette (I had no idea it was coming) because Kevin and I both ran for a seat on the Council two years ago. I came in 3rd and made it, Kevin came in 4th. To have someone in that position write a letter as nice as the one Kevin wrote is incredibly special. Thank you Kevin and I look forward to continuing to do my best for the people of Janesville!

***

THREE INCUMBENTS DESERVE RE-ELECTION IN JANESVILLE

"On April 6, the citizens of Janesville will have the opportunity to re-elect three council candidates who make up part of our present council.

Tom McDonald, Kathy Voskuil and Yuri Rashkin deserve to be re-elected to serve two more years.

McDonald asks the difficult questions. He holds his own listening sessions so citizens can speak to him on a one-on-one basis.

Voskuil brings great experience and knowledge because of time spent on the plan commission. She has a goal of making the entire city of Janesville a better place in which to live.

Rashkin looks at the big picture. He brings items to the council that need to be discussed in the open, and the public has a chance to be heard - thus democracy takes its course!

The fact that only one other candidate will be on the ballot challenging these three incumbents indicates the people of Janesville, who care about their government and vote on Election Day, are satisfied and pleased with the direction our council is taking us."

BURDETTE ERICKSON

Janesville

I have come to know Burdette over the past couple of years as a person both incredibly dedicated to his neighborhood and to the history of Janesville. A regular visitor to the council meetings, his opinion and support matters very much to me. Also, if you have not seen Burdette's museum of Janesville political history, get in touch and ask for a tour. It's incredible.